Deadly Silent
by kisa-kara-chan
Summary: When a figure from Atsuki's past comes to Kisaragi to assist him with the new Silent, tensions arise as her presence triggers even stranger events around the city. What will happen? Who will fall victim to Silent next? Summarysucks YayoixAtsukixOCxHibiki
1. Day 1: The Undercover Student

**Well... I actually began writing this awhile ago, but I just never posted it here. I wasn't sure whether it was good enough. ahahaha. **

**Anyway, I hope you like the first chapter. It may seem a little boring though at first, considering I'm just introducing new characters and whatnot. Meeting all the old characters again will be in the next chapter. LOLz. **

**Enjoy!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter One: Day One - The Undercover Student

"Good morning, Atsuki," FORT navigator Nola Dobereiner greeted. "How are you feeling this morning? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Atsuki Saijo responded.

"Okay, well… remember last night when I told you that another FORT agent would be sent in to help you?" Nola continued, "Well… she's arrived in Kisaragi, and she'll be at your place shortly. Unlike you, Liu Yee and Natsuki, she was actually _given_ the power of Σ (Sigma) after a fateful encounter with an unusual Silent, and she initially has the same ability as you, as well as similar powers of detection like Natsuki, but only at a more limited range. Now that her power of Σ has developed a bit more, she is also able to weakly use 'Σ Erase', like Liu. The cost for her power though, is that both of her eyes are a bright azure blue, but rarely shine gold when she uses her power. Sorry I couldn't give you much Intel on her last night, but I could tell that you were tired."

He nodded as he watched the transmitter screen thoughtfully. "So what can you tell me about her?" he inquired.

"She's the same age as you and she will be transferring into your class today," she elaborated. "You actually might recognize her. She told me you both were childhood friends or something… _before_ the incident with Silent, that is."

Atsuki looked surprise, his black eyes filled with wonder. "What's her name?"

"Fumiko Kasugazaki," Nola answered, and the name instantly triggered his memories of the little girl with beautiful dark chocolate eyes and dyed dark auburn red hair. "Age 17, long black hair that's usually tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, and she's… I believe just 2 inches shorter than you. A former probationary agent of the Central Intelligence Agency – aka the CIA, in America, up until 2 years ago, when she transferred to FORT. Pretty good pianist, and she's well trained in martial arts, so I think she might be able to give Liu Yee a run for his money." She chuckled at the thought. "Anyway, when she arrives, you will discuss her cover and how you will pull off your close relationship to each other. It's best you two stick together as much as possible, considering these new Silent are weirder and stronger than ever." A bright pink blush flushed her face.

"Um… is something wrong, Nola?" he inquired curiously.

She bit her lip. "Well… there's one more thing I have to tell you," he informed.

"What is it?" he pestered.

"Well… because it's best that you both should stick together if a Silent comes up, Fumiko's going to be living with you for the next while," Nola informed awkwardly.

Atsuki's eyes widened. "She's going to be _living_ with me? Here at the apartment?" he demanded.

"Y-Yeah…" she told him. "Hope that's okay with you. The chief's worried that everyone with Σ is going to be potential major target. As for Liu Yee, he'll join you both when deemed necessary. I'll keep you updated."

As the connection was cut, there was a knock at his door.

"Hmmm… must be her," he muttered to himself, peering through the hole to see a young woman with bright blue eyes, towing a suitcase and a side-bag hanging on her opposite shoulder. Opening the door, he greeted her with a gentle hello.

"Hi," she greeted back, "it's been a while, Atsuki Saijo. I'm Fumiko Kasugazaki. We met a long time ago when we were younger." She was wearing a white blouse, the top button undone, with a light blue jacket and casual dark navy jeans. A beautiful topaz pendant was held on a silver chain around her neck, and a ruby-red gemmed ring sat on her finger.

_Probably her Lux-Pain,_ he thought, noticing an odd yet familiar glimmer of unnatural power within the red gem. "Please, come in," he offered, motioning her into the room, closing the door after her. "So… how have you been since we last met?"

"That was about… umm… I don't even remember how many years ago," she sighed. "It's been too long. Well… I've been okay, ended up joining the CIA at age 13, moved to FORT at age 15, and here I am now."

Offering her a seat on the couch, he asked, "Wasn't that guy –Graham Miller, also claiming to be from the CIA?"

"Afraid so," she sighed. "I've gotta say, I'm disappointed that he shamed the CIA name, considering he used Silent and misused the army and such… nearly destroyed Kisaragi City… but I'm glad you stopped him though."

Atsuki nodded. "So… how'd a nice girl like you end up in the CIA?"

"Well… I was studying abroad in America for a while, that is… until one crazy afternoon." She shuddered at the memories as he sat down next to her. "Got attacked by a guy infected with Silent, but when I woke up in the CIA HQ, _they_ told me I was attacked by a crazy drug dealer, but they suspected there was more to it than just that. Of course, no other agency other than FORT knows about the existence of Shinen, Silent and Σ users, or at least… to the degree that _we_ do. Swearing me to secrecy, it turns out I was being watched by someone… or _something_. So… I ended up joining CIA probationary ranks where I just did minor field work and recon. One day on a recon mission I followed after this suspicious man when I was attacked by Silent, like… a really weird actual living strain of Silent. The next thing I knew, I woke up in FORT, where I learned what happened that day. Then I found out I had the power of Σ and that both my eyes had turned blue. So… then I retired from the CIA to join FORT."

"Wow…" Atsuki breathed. "A lot has happened to you."

Her azure eyes seemed sad. "I heard what happened to you too recently, and the huge infection of Silent here in Kisaragi," she said. "I'm still amazed at how they could still remember you after they had their memories altered and wiped. Then after that, _everyone _who knew you remembered you. At least they all remember now, _and_ they've forgiven you for just suddenly disappearing."

"Yeah," he said, "and now things are cool between all of us."

Very gently, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "By the way, I'm sorry about what happened to your parents and sister. They were great people."

"Thanks," he replied, his voice just as sad, "yeah… they _were_ great people. But… our job is to defeat Silent and rid the world of it. I'm glad they sent _you_ as backup. Liu Yee can be a bit… stubborn, sometimes."

Fumiko laughed, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I've worked with him several times before. For a guy who's supposed to be 7 years older than us, his stubbornness can match ours."

Atsuki chuckled in agreement. "So… we have a bit of time before school starts. Nola said that we should discuss your cover before we go," he mentioned.

"Yeah, because it would seem weird that I hang out with you a lot, considering I just arrived today," she agreed. "I can't pose as your sibling, because any other telepaths would know the truth, which Nola _did_ mention. Telling them the truth about how we're childhood friends would make me seem a little too clingy, considering we haven't met in _years_. But there _is_ one cover that clinginess is understandable."

He seemed to understand where this was going. "So I suppose the idea is that you pose as my girlfriend?" he guessed.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly, a charming blush washing over her cheeks, half with embarrassment. "But… it's completely up to you whether you want to go through with this. Otherwise, we'll somehow pull off the childhood friend's thing without keeping so much distance that we can't reach other quickly and swiftly."

Atsuki shook his head. "No, no, it's okay. I don't mind," he told her quickly. "It _does_ seem like the easiest explanation after all; girls can get clingy to their boyfriends, correct? So what's the plan?"

"Have you ever mentioned having a girlfriend before at all during your time here?" Fumiko inquired curiously. Taking a moment to think about it, he shook his head, and she smiled. "Excellent then," she continued, "in that case I will be your long-distance girlfriend that you left when transferring here to Kisaragi City, and I told you I would take just a little longer to move here from Europe... which is also true."

He smiled. "And Nola already knows about this?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I informed her of the two possibilities of either us playing the boyfriend-girlfriend cover, or the childhood friend's one. She also guessed it would probably be the first choice of the two. So… now that we know about this cover that we've chosen, I will need to tell you this; I will not push your personal boundaries of how close we may need to get, I would rather risk this whole operation than hurt you like that. But… you just need to know that unless we make our cover at least _look_ _and sound_ convincing, no one will believe it."

Atsuki looked at her, staring deeply into her aqua eyes. "I understand. I will not push you either," he agreed. "I recall once swearing to you that I'd protect you… a long time ago."

She smiled, standing up and turning away. "We were both young and naïve back then," she said as she headed to pull out a school uniform from her suitcase, "protected and safe from this world of Silent. But now things have changed… both of our lives have been changed forever."

He walked over and placed his hand on hers. "I will still protect you," he promised quietly. "You… and all the others out there. I'll protect you all from Silent."

Fumiko grinned, playfully tapping him on the forehead, catching him off guard before laughing, "Don't forget, I have the power of Σ too, so I'm also here to protect you too!"

He smirked, smiling as she skipped to the bathroom to take a quick shower and change into the uniform. As she left, his cell phone rang.

"Hey Atsuki! So did you two meet already?" Nola greeted cheerfully.

"Yeah," he replied. "She's going to shower and change before we both head off to school."

"Oh yes," she said, as if remembering something, "so what's the reason why Fumiko's going to be so close to you? What's her cover going to be?"

Atsuki prepared his tone of voice as to not reveal and or imply anything. "She's going to pose as my girlfriend," he answered, surprised and impressed at how neutral he kept his voice at. "It's amazing… she's really changed since we were little kids… but not in a bad way, I suppose."

Nola smiled. "Yeah. She's really grown through these past two years working with FORT. I suppose half the credit goes to the chief for bringing her in, and half goes to Liu Yee, who's been working as her old partner for about the first year in. But… now it's _your_ job to change her too. As you can guess, working with Liu Yee for a year has given her a sort-of 'stand-alone complex', so try to get her to become a little more dependent on others, more specifically, _you_."

"I understand," Atsuki stated.

"Oh, and one more thing you should know;" Nola said, "watch Fumiko carefully. You know that she received her Σ powers after a fateful encounter with Silent, so the chief's worried about her. I am too."

He felt a little confused. "Why?" he asked.

"Didn't you know, Atsuki?" she inquired, her voice sad, "That Silent that gave her Σ abilities is still within her."

Atsuki's hand tightened on the phone. "_What?_" he demanded. "Why wasn't it removed after you found her?"

"It's tied itself to her life, if it is removed, she dies," Nola answered sadly, "so we just _couldn't _do something like that, though I admit Liu Yee advised that we should have and allowed her to die. In any case… we don't believe that it's a strain that should endanger anyone, including herself. So I guess we're kinda starting to sound like Phalanx, aren't we… allowing her to work alongside Silent for the benefit for all? Well, the only reason why we're worried is that other Silent may be drawn to it, and she may be… well… possessed, I suppose you'd put it. Either that or she's going to be hunted down. So watch her carefully, 'kay?"

"Yeah," he replied with a sigh, "I'll watch over her. Contact us if there's anything else we need to know, _and_ if Natsuki senses a dangerous Silent or any odd Residual Shinen. Later."

As both sides hung up, Fumiko came out of the bathroom, dressed in the Kisaragi High School's girl's school uniform. The relatively short skirt reached just above her knees, revealing her long, slender legs, as well as her slim figure being hugged by the uniform. Her hair was neatly washed and dried, tied up into a neat ponytail.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" she asked, her bright blue eyes sparkling.

Atsuki was sidetracked for a moment, distracted by how well she looked in the uniform. "Uh… yeah, let's get going."

She blinked, walking over to him and poking him in the forehead. "Hey, don't forget you can't let your guard down," she reminded teasingly before grabbing her schoolbag. "Oh, and have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," he answered, grabbing his own schoolbag.

"Good, me neither. Let's pick up something on the way," she told him. "Let's go."

After they both left the apartment, they headed towards the school before Fumiko stopped and looked up at a bakery shop that seemed to be new.

"Ah… this is it then," she murmured, turning to Atsuki. "Hey, let's go in here to grab something, 'kay?"

"But there _is_ also a café in the school, if you want," he informed her, but she shook her head, a smile on her face.

"It's alright. I think I may know the owner. I recently heard from one of my old friends and ex-partner back at the CIA that they were retiring to open up a bread bakery here, and I think this may be it," she explained, walking into the shop, Atsuki following after her.

"Hello?" Fumiko called into the seemingly-empty bakery.

A man in about his late twenties walked out from the back, dressed in a baker's outfit. "Good morning," he greeted breezily, "what can I get for you today?"

Her eyes lit up as she recognized him. "Hey Adrian, it's good to see you again!" she exclaimed. "Quit the CIA already?"

Both telepaths could see his Shinen glow yellow with happiness. "Fumiko Kasugazaki!" he exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here in Kisaragi City?"

Fumiko hugged Atsuki's arm. "To be with my boyfriend, of course!" she lied flawlessly. "Adrian, meet my boyfriend; Atsuki Saijo. Atsuki, this is my ex-partner from the CIA; Adrian Martin."

"Nice to meet you, Saijo," Adrian greeted warmly, offering out his hand to shake Atsuki's. "So how have you been doing lately, Fumiko?"

"Pretty good, and you?" she retorted back.

"Just fine," he sighed, "opened up this bakery specializing in breads, considering I know there's that other really famous cake bakery and café… Sweet Ring, was it? It's really good, isn't it? I've tried it before once when I got here, it was delicious."

Atsuki dipped his head. "Yeah, a really cool place there," he agreed.

"Oh… so then you have breads?" Fumiko inquired.

"Yep," Adrian responded, whistling lightly before another man came out of the bakery with a basket of various breads.

"You know Adrian, you can't just call me like I'm some dog," he sighed.

"Hey!" Fumiko gasped in familiarity, "If it isn't Alex Walker!"

His golden eyes widened. "Hey, if it isn't Fumiko! What are you doing here in Kisaragi?" he inquired. "I thought you had 'retired' just over two years ago."

Adrian smirked. "Why don't you ask her _boyfriend_ that?" he teased.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Alex smirked, putting the bread basket down on the counter.

"Hi, I'm Atsuki Saijo," Atsuki introduced. "I'm Fumiko's boyfriend."

"Mmhmm," Fumiko hummed in agreement, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek sweetly. "Atsuki, this is another ex-CIA agent, and a close friend of mine; Alex Walker. He was my Intel provider."

Alex pouted. "Hey, you make it sound like I worked for you."

She blinked. "But you _did_," she argued. She looked at her watch. "Ah… we'd better get going soon, don't wanna be late for school!" Looking at Adrian, she asked as she pulled out her wallet from her schoolbag, "Can we get some bagels to go?"

Alex used a pair of tongs to toss a few into a brown paper bag before tossing it over to Adrian, who handed it to Atsuki.

"Here, Saijo. It's on the house," he told him, winking at Fumiko, who chuckled gently as she put back her wallet.

"T-Thanks," Atsuki stammered as Fumiko dragged him by the arm towards the entrance.

"Thanks Adrian, thanks Alex! Bye guys! We'll see you around!" she exclaimed as they exited, the two ex-CIA agents waving at them as they left.

Atsuki looked at Fumiko, who was dragging him in the direction away from Kisaragi High School in Area 6. "Hey, um, we're going the wrong way," he told her.

"I know," she said gravely. "But I feel there's a Residual Shinen we should check out first before we head to the school. Come on."

* * *

**Wow... okay, long-ish chapter. ahaha. **

**Well... I hope you liked it! Till the next chapter, adieu!**

**PLEASE REVIEW (and tell me what you think)!**


	2. Meeting Everyone

**Hope you like this chapter! Enjoy! YAY! That totally reminds me, I actually got to meet the voice actor of the person who does Ryo Unami: Todd Haberkorn (who just so happens to do Hikaru in Ouran High School, Allen Walker in D-Gray Man, and ETC.)! YAY! AUTOGRAPH AND PHOTO FOR THE WIN! lolz. **

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Two: Meeting Everyone

Not before long after running to the site, Atsuki and Fumiko were at an alley in Area 1.

"Hmmm… let's check it," she told him, and both activated their Σ's to check it out. Both took one each, but both felt and read each other's Residual Shinen at the same time.

_Death… they must die... I can't take this anymore… they're all stupid… the idiots… I will get them all…_ the Residual Shinen Atsuki viewed had. _They will disappear… _She _will disappear… I will make sure of it…_

But the R. Shinen Fumiko read had a completely different feeling. _Fear… don't let him get me… I'm scared… run away… lost, stuck… nowhere to go… trapped… doomed… must get away… won't let him get me…_

"Hmmm… what do you think?" Fumiko inquired. "Feels like what was a struggle between two people. One male attacker, and one female victim. Judging by the Shinen, I'm guessing this struggle happened last night."

Atsuki nodded. "There was a lot of hate and rage in the Shinen. It's obviously the work of Silent. We've got to find him before he tries to attack and possibly infect anyone else," he agreed, as a sharp spark of pain entered Fumiko's mind, and he noticed her quick change in emotion from one of coolness to a sharp distress and pain. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah… I'm not sure what that was… but that _hurt_," she replied honestly. "I'm okay now though... I think…"

"Let me know if you're not feeling well," he told her. "I'll take you back home to rest."

Her hand rested on his shoulder as she gently leaned on him, her other hand on her forehead as she scrunched her eyes tight, trying to put up a protective wall around her mind, trying to block out an infiltrating force. "Dammit…" she swore quietly, "Something… or _someone_, is trying to get into my head." She blinked up, her eyes fluttered as her irises turned golden.

Gripping her shoulders, Atsuki focused his own Σ to try and support her, closing his shining black eyes in concentration. He felt her pain as his own, and he sensed a powerful force trying to break into her mind, and instantly helped reinforce the shield Fumiko placed on her mind. Sighing tiredly, golden eyes fluttered open before it faded, azure blue returning to her pupils.

"Thanks," she sighed. "I think I'm okay now."

Slowly, he released her shoulders, checking over her Shinen and her emotional state, as well as physical. "Are you sure? That force seemed powerful."

"Let's just… get outta here," she told him, her hand still on his shoulder. "We'll report this back later…" She took a silver bracelet from her pocket, and Atsuki suddenly noticed the matching bracelet on her own wrist. "Take this," she said, securing it on his wrist. "We can support each other's Σ power through these bracelets. Now come on, let's get going."

They walked towards the school, Atsuki watching Fumiko carefully to make sure she was okay. Even _if_ she wasn't okay, she was doing a very good job at acting like she was. He didn't want to intrude into her mind, knowing he didn't wish to break through that barrier he had helped put up against unwanted minds.

"Atsuki, stop looking so worried, please," she begged in slight annoyance, noticing his worried black eyes on her the whole time as they reached the quad of Kisaragi High. "I'm alright, really. I promise I'll let you know if I'm not feeling well."

As she said this, a girl with somewhat-short blue hair ran over to them.

"Good morning, Atsuki!" she greeted cheerfully, smiling at him before her attention turned to Fumiko. "Ah, you must be the new transfer student that's transferring into our class! Hi, I'm Mika Nozaki, I work as a journalist at Seagull! It's nice to meet you!"

Fumiko warmly shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Fumiko Kasugazaki," she introduced. "I just moved here from Europe."

"Ah, so you know Atsuki?" Mika inquired curiously.

"She's my 'was-long-distance' girlfriend," Atsuki informed her, and her blue eyes widened in surprise as she gasped. "She needed to take a little longer before moving after me, or else she would have moved with me into Kisaragi."

"Really?" she exclaimed, "You're Saijo's _girlfriend_? You lucky girl! You have _no idea_ how many times Atsuki's saved my life!"

Fumiko just smiled. "That's Atsuki alright," she agreed, smiling up at him, who smiled back.

"Oh my- This is a _huge_ scoop! 'Atsuki Saijo and Fumiko Kasugazaki; reunited at last!'" she cheered happily, "Just kidding."

A long-blonde haired girl ran up to them. "Mika, just _what_ are you shouting about?" she demanded.

"Hey Rui! Meet the new transfer student; Fumiko Kasugazaki! She's Saijo's girlfriend!" Mika informed in a rush.

Her eyes widened. "Saijo's… _what? Really?_" she gasped, grabbing Fumiko's hand and shaking it furiously. "I'm Rui Yamase, it's nice to meet you!"

Atsuki sighed, scratching his hair. "You know, you guys don't have to make _this_ big a deal of it. She's just my girlfriend transferring into our school," he told them, watching as both of their Shinen were bright yellow with happiness. "Nothing big."

"But Atsuki! This is your _girlfriend_ we're talking about here!" Mika argued.

Fumiko laughed, her voice light and chiming like bells, "It's alright. It's nice to meet you both."

Atsuki could tell that the positive Shinen was relieving Fumiko of her exhaustion, as well as helping her mentally. But… he still had to show her around the school before she got bombarded with a whole bunch of questions from his classmates. "Sorry Rui, sorry Mika, I gotta show Fumiko the rest of the school before class starts. We'll see you both later in class," he bid, cautiously wrapping an arm around Fumiko's waist to escort her away from the prying two.

"Awww… they're so cute," Mika sighed.

Rui smirked. "Yeah, I can't wait till you and Akira get like that."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" she snapped back, her face reddening.

xXx

"You have really nice friends, Atsuki," Fumiko told him quietly as they closely walked together as so both looking like a couple, as well as being able to discuss a little more privately. Atsuki was leading her to the café. But he took out the bagels and handed her one before starting on one himself.

He chuckled, "They really have changed me a little, I have to admit."

"I can tell," she replied, taking a small bite into the soft, warm bagel. "Mmm… it's so soft."

"Really?" he replied, taking a bite into his own bagel. "Hmm, you're right. Your friends have a talent at baking."

"Yeah," Fumiko agreed. "I know that Alex bakes as a hobby. Plus he moved to Kisaragi because he grew up here as a kid. Then Adrian and Alex are like the best of friends. They both have helped me on dozens of missions, considering I was the newbie."

Atsuki looked at her. "I can see they really care for you," he told her.

Suspicion rose in her eyes. "You read their Shinen, didn't you…"

Sheepishly, he nodded, which earned him a sigh.

"Well… they both treat me like I'm their little sister, so they take care of me," she agreed. "_That's_ probably why."

As they entered the café, Fumiko looked around and saw the fancy layout. "Oooh… such a calming atmosphere," she commented.

A glasses-wearing, wavy blue-haired boy looked at them and waved at Atsuki. "Hey Saijo! Over here!" he called.

Both Atsuki and Fumiko walked over to him, still chomping down on their bagels.

"Good morning, Atsuki," he greeted, "for once in a while I managed to come to school early." He looked at Fumiko with a smile. "Ah, you must be the new transfer student Ms. Aoi mentioned last week. It's nice to meet you. My name is Ryo Unami."

Fumiko smiled back. "It's nice to meet you too, Unami. I'm Fumiko Kasugazaki," she greeted in return. "I heard from Atsuki that you own the Tohodo bookstore next to the apartment in Area 7?"

"Ah, yes!" he replied happily. "Do you like old books, Miss Kasugazaki? I have a whole store full of them."

"Yes," she answered, "among my favourites are the classics of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain."

Ryo's Shinen lit up with happiness. "Ah, those are excellent books!" he exclaimed, "You have wonderful taste in authors, Miss Kasugazaki. Please, drop by Tohodo anytime and I'll try to recommend any good books for you."

"Of course," she replied. "I'd love to."

Atsuki had been listening quietly while he finished up his bagel, but as he caught a brief glance of Fumiko's watch, he decided it was time for them to keep on going. "Hey Ryo, we'll see you later, okay?" he interrupted, "I've got to finish showing Fumiko around before class starts."

He laughed, "Of course. I'm sorry, once I get caught into the topic of books it's hard to waver from it for a moment. See you later!"

xXx

"Here's the computer room," Atsuki explained, sliding open the doors, where they found just one student on a computer; computer genius Shinji Naruse. The purple-haired boy turned, his face twisted in surprise as they entered.

"Ah, morning, Saijo!" he greeted, his gaze suddenly focusing on Fumiko and widening. "Hey, you look kinda familiar. Have we met before?"

Fumiko blinked in surprise. She shook her head. "I, um, just transferred in today…" she explained, her Shinen turning nervous.

Shinji gasped, turning back to his computer and typing quickly on the keyboard. "Aha! _That's_ where I've seen you before!" he exclaimed. "You're Fumiko Kasugazaki of the CIA!"

Both Fumiko and Atsuki were speechless. Already it wasn't even 3 hours of being in Kisaragi City and her old cover was already blown. Hurriedly Atsuki opened the door and peered outside to make sure no one had heard before closing it behind him.

"An ex-agent, actually," Fumiko corrected, walking over towards Shinji, "But… h-how did you know?"

He chuckled, "I was bored and hacked into the FBI database one time. I found this one secret, encrypted file, and hacked it. It was a profile on you because you had worked with one of the FBI's agents before. I decided to read the file after the first line, where it said that you were one of the youngest agents _ever_ to join the CIA."

"Gah!" she growled, slapping herself on the forehead. "I _told_ them to destroy any evidence of me existing as a CIA agent outside HQ! Please… can you, like, not tell anyone about this? I don't want people to fake being nice to me just because I used to work with the CIA, or something ridiculous like that."

Shinji nodded. "That's fine with me. It'll be our little secret, you, me, and Saijo's," he agreed. "Oh yeah, sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Shinji Naruse. So… d'you really used to work for the CIA, huh? Why'd you quit?"

Fumiko sighed, "I wanted to just… get away from the dangerous spy life. I wanted to just live a normal life, like any teenager would."

"So Naruse, what are you doing here so early?" Atsuki asked, trying to direct the attention away from Fumiko's agent history before Shinji would get too interested and try to dive into researching more about her.

"Meh, nothing big," he answered. "Thought I'd continue working on a hacker program I'm designing."

Fumiko silently gulped in worry, and Atsuki rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

"We'll see you in class, Naruse. I'm gonna show Fumiko the rest of the school," he told him.

Without looking away from his computer, Shinji raised a hand and waved. "Oh, and don't worry, Kasugazaki, your secret's safe with me."

xXx

"Ah… this is terrible," Fumiko sighed depressingly as she rested her head against Atsuki's shoulder as he had an arm around her waist. "I'm worried Naruse is going to keep a closer eye on me, therefore limiting our scouting activities…"

Atsuki hugged her tighter as they approached the Art Room. "You're thinking too much, Fumiko," he told her quietly. "Naruse will stay out of our way. We'll do just fine without too much interruptions, with the exception of Silent infectees, of course."

She sighed once more. "You make it sound so easy," she breathed. "But that's probably because _you_ managed to get away with all of it last time without getting caught. If the others knew what we could do, with Σ and all, they'd probably be shocked."

"I agree," he replied, kissing the side of her head. "But really, you don't have to worry about Naruse. He won't interrupt our mission."

"Hmmm…" she muttered, resting her head against him. "I guess our cover is pretty convincing, don't you think?"

"Yep," he sighed in reply as he opened the door and they both walked in to see a student with long straight red hair having a conversation with a blonde teacher.

"Ah, good morning, Saijo," Arthur greeted. "Are you showing around the new student?"

"G-Good morning, Atsuki!" the girl chimed.

Atsuki dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Morning, Mr. Mays, good morning, Yayoi."

"Umm… hello," Fumiko greeted, slightly bowing. "I'm Fumiko Kasugazaki, the new transfer student. It's nice to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you too, I'm the art teacher, Arthur Mays," Mr. Mays introduced.

Yayoi walked over and shook hands with her. "My name is Yayoi Kamishiro," she said, "I'm in your class. I hope we'll be able to be great friends."

"Me too," she agreed. "So… Atsuki tells me that the both of you are brilliant artists."

She blushed. She always had a little thing for the silver-haired student with the calm demeanour. Meanwhile Atsuki had always thought she was pretty, but he didn't exactly feel the same towards her. "Umm… t-thanks."

"Well… do you have an interest in art, Kasugazaki?" Mr. Mays inquired.

"Ah, mildly, yes," Fumiko answered. "Unfortunately, I have no talent in that field."

Arthur smiled. "Nonsense, everyone has their own unique style of art," he informed.

"Come on, Fumiko, let's continue on," Atsuki told her. "I'll see you later, Mr. Mays, Yayoi."

"Okay, see you both in class!" Yayoi exclaimed as the two undercover students left the art room.

xXx

"And _here's_ the nurse's office," Atsuki said. "If you feel sick you can just come here."

"Hey Saijo," a cyan haired student greeted, smiling.

He looked at him. "Hey Kiryu," he returned.

"Morning Saijo!" Nurse and P.E. teacher Honoka Hino exclaimed. "Are you feeling sick?"

He shook his head. "I'm showing around the new transfer student," he informed.

She laughed, "And just think; you were in her position just a month and a half ago. It's nice you're showing her around."

"Hi, I'm Fumiko Kasugazaki," Fumiko greeted.

"Hello, I'm the P.E. teacher, as well as the school nurse; Ms. Honoka Hino," Ms. Hino greeted.

Kiryu smiled. "And I'm in your class. I'm Hibiki Kiryu, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you all too," she replied.

Honoka grinned, a teasing tone in her voice now. "You're pretty lucky to have such a handsome young man show you around."

In response, Atsuki wrapped his arm around Fumiko's waist and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, she is," he agreed, smiling almost evilly at her.

Fumiko chuckled, looking at Ms. Hino and Kiryu's surprised-looking expression. "He's my boyfriend," she informed. "We've known each other for a long time, as we were childhood friends."

"Ah…" she hummed. "So _that's_ it. Well… just make sure Ms. Aoi doesn't catch you two getting all cozy."

They nodded.

"I'll see you later in class, okay?" Hibiki said, and Fumiko chuckled.

"Of course," she replied. "Bye!"

xXx

"You really _have_ made a lot of great friends here, Atsuki," Fumiko commented.

He nodded. "The only ones you've left to meet are three of the teachers, and Akira Mido. Akira's father runs and owns that bakery in Area 3, Sweet Ring," he explained. "I'll take you there sometime."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on taking me out on a date?" she implied.

"You _are_ my girlfriend, after all," he indirectly answered, kissing her on the cheek.

A slightly taller boy with green hair caught sight of the kiss as he walked out of the teacher's lounge.

"Whoa, morning Saijo," Akira Mido greeted, his voice in a little surprise, "who's your girlfriend? Hey wait, isn't she the new transfer student?"

"Wow, this is embarrassing," Fumiko muttered under her breath, a blush enveloping her cheeks. "Hi, I'm Fumiko Kasugazaki. I've known Atsuki since we were kids."

"Hey, I'm Akira Mido," he introduced. "I'm one of your classmates." He walked over and nudged Atsuki in a teasing voice. "I never knew you had such a cute girlfriend, Saijo. You never mentioned her before."

In response, Atsuki's cheeks were tinted with red. "W-Well… just wanted to make it a surprise, I suppose. Plus… you guys never asked."

"Eh, that's true," Akira couldn't help but agree.

A strange mixed-feeling Shinen rose within him, and both telepaths read it with their Σs.

_Hmmm… Fumiko's cute… I wonder how Atsuki and her hit it off… cute couple… I wonder whether she has any cute friends… should I ask Mika to the winter dance next week?... I definitely know who Saijo's going with… _

Both FORT agents' blushes deepened at his thoughts as they immediately pulled back their Σ reading.

"In any case, Atsuki here was just going to show me the teacher's lounge," Fumiko said, breaking him out of his embarrassed reverie. "So I guess we'll see you in class soon, okay?"

"Okay," Akira stated as he walked off himself with a grin. "See you later!"

Leaving just the two of them in the hallway, Fumiko gave Atsuki a long kiss on the cheek.

"You're doing a fine job of our cover," she told him, brushing some silver bangs away from his eyes. "Just… don't get so distracted. It makes you look suspicious. I read his emotions and mind as well."

Atsuki smiled softly, kissing her on the forehead. "So how _did_ we 'hit it off', as Akira thought?" he whispered quietly.

She smiled back. "Well," she began, her voice a low whisper, "back in Europe, you took me to a wondrous landmark overlooking the city at nightfall, where you asked me to be your girlfriend. I said 'yes'."

"Hmm… convincing, and believable," he agreed. "You really thought this through."

"With help from Nola, of course," Fumiko admitted. "We planned for both scenarios."

"Now come on, let's head into the teacher's lounge and I'll introduce you to Ms. Aoi Matsumura, Mr. Takashi Higarashi and Mr. Kyoya Kanbara, the literature, history, and math teacher respectively," he told her.

xXx

After the meeting with their teachers, they headed to the classroom as the bell rang.

"Good morning everyone, we have a new transfer student today," Ms. Aoi announced. "Everyone, this is Fumiko Kasugazaki who is coming in from Europe."

"Hello everyone, I hope I get to know all of you well," Fumiko said with a cheerful smile. From what she could tell from everyone's Shinen, they would be eager to get to know her too. She could also tell that Rui and Mika planned on bombarding her with questions on how she met and fell in love with Atsuki, as well as how he asked her out, or vice versa.

"She's already been shown around by Mr. Saijo, so please take a seat and we'll begin our lesson for today," Ms. Aoi continued.

Swiftly and silently, Fumiko took the vacant seat next to Atsuki and they began class.

30 minutes into the class, Fumiko felt a sharp force try to break her mental barrier; the same one who tried to break into her mind earlier. Lowering her head as if focusing hard on her textbook, her face tightened in pain, and Atsuki sensed her distress and the change in her Shinen. But he knew there was little he could do for her, as they were in the middle of class surrounded by a whole bunch of people. Closing his own eyes, he helped reinforce hers through the power of the matching bracelets they wore. But it didn't seem to help; this powerful energy was much too strong.

Suddenly, the force withdrew, and Fumiko sighed quietly in relief as her tightened muscles relaxed in her body. She wavered dizzily for a moment before catching herself. Though quiet, Atsuki could tell her breath was short. He would need to make sure she was put to rest during the lunch break… and figure out something else; just _what_ was going on?

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**OMG what's going on? Who's trying to attack Fumiko and why? Hmmm... what's Atsuki going to do to help her. And WHOA, Shinji's SOOO smart!**

**Until the next chapter! (which won't take too long to update.)**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Jealousy

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**Well... here's the next chapter. Thought I'd update one more chapter before my lab exam tomorrow. O_O. Wish me luck!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else**

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Chapter Three: Jealousy

At the bell for lunch break, Fumiko physically seemed to have recovered from the attack, but Atsuki knew she was mentally exhausted. To him it could be clearly seen in her eyes. As the others hurriedly left out the door, only Fumiko and Atsuki remained, as Fumiko slowly took her time to cleanly put away her books. Atsuki's friends had told them they'd be around the school.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her.

"Y-Yeah," she murmured, standing up from her seat before beginning to collapse sideways, Atsuki sweeping in to catch her against his chest.

"Fumiko," he said worriedly, supporting her body up against him. "You're not okay. You need to rest. We need to report back immediately."

"N-No… it's okay… I can last," she argued, but Atsuki pressed her against him tightly and reluctant to let go.

He shook his head. "Fumiko, you're mentally exhausted, and I don't blame you after what's happened. Do you have any idea why this force is constantly trying to get into your head? You seem to be getting weaker every time. You really need to rest. I'm taking you to the nurse's."

"But-" She began to argue, but he rested a finger over her lips, hushing her.

"You need to sleep," he told her, beginning to escort her to the nurse's office, passing Mika, Akira and Rui along the way.

They immediately noticed the couple walking past them, a feverish flush on Fumiko's cheeks.

"Hey Saijo, hey Kasugazaki," Akira greeted. "Where are you going you lovebirds?"

"Yeah, come have lunch with us! We're heading to the café to eat," Mika said.

Atsuki looked at them. "Sorry, but maybe tomorrow, I'm taking Fumiko to the nurse's office."

This piece of information changed their Shinen to one of worry.

"Are you okay, Fumiko?" Rui inquired.

Honestly, she shook her head before smiling. "All I need is some rest and I'll be fine," she assured them.

"She hasn't got any good rest since she got here just yesterday," Atsuki lied. "She hasn't had a lot of time to adjust to the time change. She nearly collapsed with exhaustion. I'm taking her to the nurse's office to get some rest. We don't want Mr. Higarashi to panic if she collapses in the middle of class. Now please excuse us, I've gotta take her there before she collapses again."

"Sorry I'm so weak, you guys," Fumiko apologized quietly, leaning heavily on Atsuki.

"Hope you feel better, Fumiko," Mika said.

Rui nodded in agreement. "Get lots of rest," she instructed. "We'll let Mr. Higarashi and Mr. Kanbara where you both are."

Atsuki nodded. "I'll stay with her as long as I need to," he agreed. "Now come on, Fumiko, you need your rest."

xXx

As they entered the nurse's office and the situation was explained to Ms. Hino, Atsuki helped Fumiko lie down on the patient's bed as Ms. Hino left them alone.

"Ugh… I feel so tired," Fumiko sighed.

"Just sleep, Fumiko," Atsuki told her. "I'll report back for the both of us." He took out his phone and called the FORT.

"Hey Atsuki, what happened?" Nola demanded. "Where's Fumiko? How is she?" She took a deep breath before beginning again. "Oh, let me start over. Well… Natsuki sensed a powerfully strong Shinen in Kisaragi City, but couldn't pinpoint the source. All that Natsuki's been able to read is that the target was after Fumiko."

He sighed, "She's weak, as she had to endure two attacks now. Do you have any idea where this Shinen is coming from, or at least what they wish to gain from breaking into Fumiko's mind?"

Nola sighed depressingly. "Partially," she answered. "All that we know is that its eventual goal is to kill her. The reason I say 'eventual' is because there's probably something else it wants from her. In any case, keep her close, Atsuki. I've already sent Liu Yee, and he'll be patrolling the city on a regular basis. If he finds anything suspicious you both will be the first to know. As you know, Aya is still undercover working at the Kisaragi Police Station, so you can always check up things with her. She'll try to help the both of you as much as she can. "

"Okay, thanks," Atsuki replied. "I'll do everything I can to keep her safe." As he hung up, Fumiko's eyes were already closed as she was fast asleep. Just _who_ or _what_ would be after her?

_Could it be Silent? _He wondered. _But Silent is helpless unless it attaches itself to a strong Shinen. I wonder… Well… no matter what the situation, I won't allow Silent to take anyone else close to me. Of my past… only Fumiko is left…_

Very gently, he carefully took her hand in his without waking her. He squeezed it reassuringly, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.

"I promise I'll protect you," he swore quietly. "Silent _will _die."

As he watched her sleep, he felt a strange protective feeling rise within him. Shaking it off, he grabbed a bagel out from his bag with his other hand and began to quietly eat.

xXx

Half an hour after the class bell rang, Fumiko stirred and her eyes fluttered open, feeling Atsuki's warm hand in hers, the undercover student sitting by her side.

"Hey, are you feeling any better?" he asked her quietly.

"How long have I been asleep?" she replied, turning her head to look at him.

Taking a moment, he looked up at the clock before looking back at her. "About an hour and 15 minutes now," he told her.

"Wow…" she moaned. "I feel like I slept for 12 hours straight after taking sleeping pills or something. Except for this faint hollow ringing in my ears, I'm alright."

Atsuki smiled. "So you are feeling better then," he assumed.

Fumiko nodded weakly, slowly sitting up and yawning. "So… what did Nola say?"

"That the person whose powerful mind force that was is trying to get you," he answered. "So I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you. But Liu Yee has been sent to do scouting patrol for a little bit."

"Hmmm… he's not going to enjoy that," she commented. "Ugh… in any case, how much time of class left?"

"Well… there's only 15 minutes left of Mr. Kanbara's class, and then there's still 45 minutes of Mr. Higarashi's class before school ends," he answered. "You sure you wanna go back? You still seem a little pale to me."

Fumiko sighed, "Maybe that's just you. I'll get some rest later tonight. Let's just… get back to class. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Wait, do you want to eat something first? You missed lunch," he inquired.

She shook her head. "It's alright. I'll grab something on the way while we dig around town later," she told him, standing up warily. "Let's head back to the classroom."

xXx

When they arrived, all the students looked at them.

"Hey, Kasugazaki! You're alive!" Akira exclaimed, unintentionally crudely. But Mika took care of that.

Bonking him on the head, she scolded, "Akira! That's so mean!"

"Settle down, the both of you," Mr. Kanbara chided.

"Are you alright?" Yayoi inquired worriedly.

Fumiko smiled. "I'm just fine," she reassured them as she and Atsuki sat down at their desks. "I just needed some rest was all. Still not adjusted to the time change, I suppose."

"That's good to hear," Ryo said.

"We were all a little worried," Hibiki added.

Shinji blinked, as if he was hearing this for the first time. "Really? We were?"

Rui elbowed him. "Uh… yeah?"

Fumiko chuckled. "Thanks guys, that really means a lot," she told them, a little flattered at their concern. She exchanged a look with Atsuki, a glimmer in her eyes that told him, _You really _do_ have great friends, Atsuki. I can tell they must care for you a lot, if they're treating me like this._

He couldn't help but smile.

"Well… let's finish with our lesson then…" Mr. Kanbara announced, and they continued till Mr. Higarashi came in for the next and last class of the day.

xXx

After school ended, Rui, Mika, Yayoi, Akira, Ryo, Hibiki, and Shinji gathered around Atsuki and Fumiko.

"So… how did you two meet up in the first place? Who asked who out?" Mika began in a rush.

"Slow down, Mika, give them time to reply," Akira chided.

Fumiko laughed as Atsuki chuckled.

"Well… Atsuki asked me out," Fumiko lied. "We re-met after 2 years apart when I went to study abroad in America. After a few months of hanging out, he took me out for dinner before he took me to the rooftop of his house where we looked at the city. He asked me to be his girlfriend, I said 'yes', and that began everything."

"Awww… that's so sweet," Rui cooed.

"You're so lucky to have such a cool guy like Atsuki," Yayoi commented quietly, half-jealous half-sad.

Fumiko and Atsuki both caught the change in mood, and Fumiko decided to read the Shinen coming from her, but placed a brief mind block to prevent Atsuki from reading it as well. Women's intuition was telling her that Atsuki shouldn't read this. She activated her Σ and began the reading.

_I'm so jealous… she's so lucky… it's not fair… I wish I was her… Atsuki's so kind… Ugh… she's so pretty… I'd have no chance in the first place… wish I was dating Atsuki… so warm… so kind… I'm so jealous… but I still want to be friends…_

Fumiko bit her inner lip as her Shinen changed to one of sadness. The expression on her face didn't change, but Atsuki could tell something was the matter; that something she had read upset her.

"Ah, hey, are you okay?" Hibiki noticed.

She blinked, looking at him. "Huh? Sorry, what did you say? Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine."

"You seem kinda outta it," Shinji told her.

Atsuki went over to her and said worriedly, "Hey Fumiko, I think you still need to get some rest. Come on, let's go home and I'll let you rest."

"Ah, yeah, sure," she replied quietly, standing up abruptly, startling even herself. "Uh… sorry… I-I guess I'm just a little nervous… so I'm kinda out of it today…"

Akira laughed, "No worries, Kasugazaki. Take it easy, we won't bite. Well… Mika might."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, hitting Akira half-playfully on the shoulder.

"But in any case, you should go home and rest," Rui said.

"Yeah, with some rest, you'll be better in no time," Yayoi stated optimistically.

Very gently, Atsuki rested a hand on her shoulder, helping her out of the classroom.

"We'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he called back to them.

"Of course!" they cheered.

"Bye guys, it was nice meeting all of you," Fumiko called weakly. _Hmmm… I-I don't _know _anymore…_ she thought. _Maybe I should abandon this mission… but… I can't let my feelings get involved… but… I don't want to do this if it means hurting the people Atsuki cares about…_

xXx

After they had left the school and were out of hearing range of anyone, Atsuki looked at Fumiko worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. "Your Shinen changed after reading Yayoi's Shinen."

She rubbed her arm nervously, tearing her gaze away from his. "Uh… yeah…"

"Were you the one that prevented me from reading Yayoi's Shinen?" he guessed.

Fumiko nodded wordlessly. "I-I just…" she began hesitantly, "I-I just…" she sighed, "never mind. Just forget about it."

"Fumiko, you can tell me what's wrong," Atsuki told her.

She forced a smile at him. "It's alright. Let's just go home, please."

They walked back to the apartment in silence, and he could tell something was really making her sad. But he just couldn't figure out what it was.

xXx

Once they had arrived home, wordlessly Fumiko went to take a shower to try and clear her head as Atsuki reported back to FORT.

"Well… how is she right now?" Nola inquired as they were talking through the communicator screen hooked up to the TV.

"Physically, she's perfectly healthy," Atsuki answered, "however, mentally, I feel there's something bugging her. After class today, she seemed perfectly fine, but once she left the school, her Shinen was filled with nothing but sadness, as well as other conflicted feelings."

The 18-year-old nodded slowly. "Did anything else odd occur that made you a little suspicious of her as well?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, "after both of us sensed Yayoi Kamishiro's Shinen change, I was about to read it with Σ, but Fumiko had placed a mind block. For some reason, there was something in Yayoi's mind that Fumiko didn't want me to read."

"Possibly it could be women's intuition," Nola muttered to herself, though completely audible to Atsuki's ears.

"What?" he asked, now a little confused, but she shook her head.

"Never mind, it's something only women can understand," she told him. "Anyway, just keep an eye on her and try to keep her happy. We don't want her to become the next target of Silent. That could have disastrous results."

He nodded in understanding.

She smiled. "So… what do you think of Fumiko?" she queried curiously.

"Hard-headed, I've gotta say," Atsuki answered with a quiet chuckle. "She's stubborn, and very mentally strong. A very skilled liar, though I take it the CIA can be thanked for that. She's an excellent actress, makes our cover look convincing."

"Do you like her?" Nola pried.

"Yeah, she's my childhood friend," he replied. "Of _course_ I like her."

She shook her head. "No, I mean do you like, _like _her," she clarified.

Atsuki blinked black eyes, a blush unknowingly tinting his cheeks. "I-I don't know," he told her honestly. "She's beautiful, strong, a kind heart, I'll admit I might."

Natsuki popped up partially onto the screen, her eyes wide. "Atsuki! But you're only for _me_!" she exclaimed, pouting jealously.

Nola glared at her, and she sneaked off screen. Then she returned her gaze onto Atsuki. "Well… you'd better sort out your feelings for her then. If you do think you're beginning to fall in love with her, take every opportunity to show it. She'll give you points for trying, at least."

As the connection ended, Atsuki sat in silence. What he was slow to figure out was that Nola was implying the fact that he was very unromantic.

"Hey!" he realized, suddenly understanding, but the connection was already disconnected.

5 minutes later, Fumiko came out of the bathroom, dressed in casual jeans and a plain white t-shirt that hugged against her curves. She lay down on the vacant couch and closed her eyes.

"Fumiko, you can take the bed," Atsuki offered. "You need your rest more than I do."

She opened her eyes and looked at him, sitting up. "Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded. "I can sleep on the couch," he told her.

Sighing tiredly, she didn't argue, walking over to give Atsuki a short kiss on the cheek before she crawled into his bed, pulling the covers over herself as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to begin to drift off to sleep. After a few moments, she fell into a deep sleep, and her head tilted to the side. Atsuki allowed himself to drift off into a quick nap, but he awoke about an hour later, finding Fumiko still sleeping peacefully.

Quietly, he walked over and sat on the bed next to her, brushing away several strands of hair from her face. Before he realized it, he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead softly.

"Mmm…" she murmured, leaning into his touch. "Atsuki…" she whispered in her sleep, "I'm so sorry…"

His eyes looked worried. "Fumiko…" he said quietly in concern. "Why do you need to apologize? You've done nothing wrong."

"Ah!" she choked, her back arching in pain. Her Shinen changed to one of pain and fear.

"Fumiko!" he exclaimed, his hands gripping her shoulders. "Fumiko, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"

She slumped back down against the bed, her Shinen reverting back to a calmer, more normal one. A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"Please… sleep well…" he whispered, leaning down to kiss her lips, but stopped himself just centimetres above her lips.

_What am I doing? _He wondered, pulling back. _Am I really falling in love with Fumiko? This is insane. It was only just this morning that I reunited with her again! Ugh... I'll need to take a bit of time to sort this out. Do I want to fall into a false relationship that we're acting? Or is the affection I begin to feel for her becoming more real?_

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**Hmmm... Atsuki's getting the hots for Fumiko... ALREADY? Well... it's obvious that they're HARDLY going to tell the other about their feelings. Poor Yayoi, competing against Fumiko for Atsuki's heart. Hmmm... I wonder who'll win, or at least... I wonder who's going to get infected by Silent because of it? OOPS, spoiler *hint, hint***

**Well... I hope you liked this chapter, and that things aren't getting rushed. Poor Atsuki's not very romantic, ahahaha. And it seems Nola's trying to set them up. I wonder what's gonna happen next? **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Day 5: Breakdown

**Yay! Two exams down, one to go! **

**I hope you guys like this chapter! This is rather long, in fact. alalala. lol.**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

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Chapter Four: Day 5 – Breakdown

It had been 4 days since Fumiko had arrived, and both of their feelings for each other deepened, but they managed to conceal it well from each other. The strange, mysterious mind force hadn't bothered Fumiko the entire 4 days, and it raised FORT's suspicions. Atsuki and Fumiko had only dealt with the minor and weaker Silent, but none of the newer and more advanced Silent. In the meantime, Fumiko had been introduced to the other people of Kisaragi City; Yuzi Okura, the owner of the net café; Razzly Portman, a famous reporter that Mika worked with; Kenichi Mido, Akira's father and the owner of Sweet Ring; Shigeru Enokida, the man working at the local post office; Syunichi Inagaki, the guy who owned a huge music store; Yui Yamase, Rui's elder sister who worked at the police department alongside Aya; and Nami Kamishiro and her dog, Melody. Nami was Yayoi's younger 11-year-old sister in elementary school, and she had quickly discovered that Fumiko had powers similar to Atsuki's, and Fumiko learned that Nami had the ability to speak to animals.

The bitter sadness still ate away at Fumiko, thinking that she was doing wrong to both Atsuki and Yayoi because they had the chance to fall in love with each other, but she had interrupted with that delicate process. Everyday hurt, as Fumiko could tell that Yayoi was hurting at her and Atsuki's closeness. Every time Fumiko had the opportunity, she tried to push Atsuki towards Yayoi to allow her to have her chance to tell him.

"Fumiko, really, you don't seem to be okay," Atsuki told her as they walked towards the school. "Ever since the first day after school in Kisaragi, you've been sad."

"I told you, Atsuki, I'm fine, really," she lied, and her Shinen showed it. Even without the use of Σ, Atsuki knew that everything wasn't as okay as she said they were.

He stopped her in her tracks before he turned her towards him, staring deeply into her beautiful azure eyes. "Fumiko," he said to her, his black eyes shimmering with worry, "you need to tell me what's wrong. I'm here to help you, you _know_ that… right?"

She sighed, tearing her gaze away from his. "I know," she replied.

His grip on her shoulders tightened. "Then tell me what's wrong," he demanded.

"I-I can't…" she stammered, pain continuing to flutter through her Shinen. "I-I just… I-I just… I can't."

Atsuki pressed her against his chest, hugging her tightly. "Please… Fumiko…" he begged quietly. "Just _what_ is it that you can't tell me? We've known each other since we were little kids, you can tell me _anything_."

"I can't," Fumiko began to weep tearlessly, burying her face into his chest as her arms wrapped around his back. "Can't you see I just _can't_?"

"You and Yayoi have been acting weird for the past 4 days," Atsuki told her. "Nami's been telling me the same thing. She said that both she and Melody have sensed something that's bothering Yayoi, _and_ you."

Pulling away, she reached up to kiss his cheek, offering him a sad smile. "Of course Nami knows," she breathed. "But… let's go." As she pulled away from his embrace and began to walk away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back against him, pressing his lips against her forehead.

"Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?" he demanded.

"Cause it _involves _you," she told him, pulling away out of his reach. "Now let's go."

His Shinen twisted with confusion. "What?" he muttered to himself quietly, "Involves me? Don't I have a right to know then?" But she was far from hearing range, and he followed after her, making sure he kept her in his sight.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at the school, where –as she was headed of him, Fumiko was greeted by Hibiki, Mika, Rui and Akira. On two of the days, Mika, Yayoi and Rui had forcefully taken Fumiko away from Atsuki and the four of them went shopping. On another day, Hibiki, Ryo and Akira had taken her around town to visit dozens of places, as well as take her to Sweet Ring for a nice afternoon tea. Meanwhile Atsuki had been dragged on a 'date' with Nami, and they went to the local burger joint.

_Fumiko sure has managed to get herself pretty popular among my friends, _Atsuki thought as he watched them mingle. _And she seems to be getting along especially well with Kiryu. I believe he likes her, as implied by his most recent Shinen. _

"Hey, Saijo! Come over here!" Akira called, and they all looked at him, including Fumiko.

He saw her Shinen to be the only blue one compared to the other happy ones. But he set on a false smile and join them, as he could tell the expression on her face was false as well.

"Since you're both here now, we wanted to ask whether you both wanted to come with us after school to see a movie." Mika inquired. "It'll be me, Rui, Akira, Hibiki, Ryo, Yayoi, and Shinji."

Fumiko bit her lip, knowing it would be the perfect opportunity to set Yayoi and Atsuki up. "I'm sorry, but I have something to do after school. I'm helping a friend out at his bakery. Atsuki, you should go. You know I promised Adrian that I'd help him out after school."

He very well knew it was a lie, but he knew he wouldn't dare confront her now. It would raise suspicions. "Hey, I promised I'd help too," he argued, also lying, and an angry Shinen rose within Fumiko.

_Uh oh… did I step on a land mine or something?_ He wondered.

"Ugh, you're so stubborn sometimes," she scoffed under her breath, inaudible to all ears but Atsuki's.

"Awww… that's too bad," Rui sighed.

"Definitely next time then," Akira told them.

Mika smiled. "Well… look at the bright side; you guys have a date working at a bakery."

Fumiko couldn't help but laugh, and her Shinen lightened a bit, much to Atsuki's relief. "Not exactly a romantic date, huh?"

As the bell chimed, they looked at each other.

"Well… better get to class before Ms. Aoi scolds us," Hibiki said, and they all hurried off to class.

xXx

45 minutes later, the lunch bell rang, and silently Atsuki and Fumiko sat down on a stone bench in the quad, the surviving flowers still in bloom around them. Their friends at seen them together, and decided not to bother them on their private lunch.

"Fumiko…" Atsuki said quietly, glancing at her. "What are you trying to do? You seem to be constantly pushing me away to be by yourself."

She looked away. "I have my reasons," she told him. "In truth, Atsuki, I think it's best we 'break-up', if only for now."

"Why?" he inquired, confused.

Fumiko forced a bright smile, but it came off as a sad one. "All relationships have to have their rough edges, right?" she replied optimistically, but her voice broke at the end.

"Fumiko, what's wrong? Why can't you tell me what's bothering you?" he demanded in an urgent and confused voice.

"Because I _can't_, okay, Atsuki?" she uncontrollably snapped, before biting back her tongue as she met his startled expression. She looked away at the ground in front of her, her voice quieter now when she spoke. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I didn't mean to snap. But I really just _can't_, Atsuki. I won't recover if _she_ doesn't tell you. Both answers will probably bring me _some_ sort of pain, but I can handle them. But that's only _when_ she decides to tell you, and not a moment sooner."

He looked at her. "Who's this '_she_' you speak of?" he asked.

"I can't tell you that either," Fumiko told him. "I'm sorry, but she'll tell you in time. Until then… well… it's best we 'break-up'. I can take care of myself, and I'll keep close contact with Liu so that nothing should happen to me."

Grabbing her lunch, she walked away from him, leaving him alone on the bench to wonder; _why?_

XxX

Lunch passed slowly for the both of them, as word spread quickly about their painful break-up. Yayoi, Akira and Rui comforted Atsuki in the quad while Hibiki, Ryo, and Mika tried to cheer up Fumiko in the café. Both parties failed.

xXx

After school, Atsuki left the classroom quickly with only a short glance at Fumiko. As their friends watched him disappear, they looked at Fumiko.

"This is terrible," Rui murmured to Mika. "I really wonder what happened between them. They _seemed_ happy together."

Mika glanced back at her friend. "Well… all Fumiko said was that they had gotten into a really bad argument. But she didn't say what."

"Hey Kasugazaki, the movie offer still stands, if you want to come," Akira reminded her, trying to give off a light tone.

She shook her head. "I still promised a friend I'd help him at his bakery, so I can't," she told them quietly. "I'm sorry, maybe just… next time, I suppose. You guys go ahead, you don't want to be late for the movie."

Wishing they could comfort her, they left quietly, leaving her alone in the classroom as she finished slowly packing up her books. Looking out the window, she sighed, gazing down at her friends as they sadly left the school.

"Well… this wasn't ever part of the plan," she murmured to herself as she left the classroom, making her way down to the quad.

Not to Fumiko's surprise, Atsuki was waiting for her. He had come out of hiding after he saw that the others had left, Fumiko not among them. His dark gaze looked worried, and sad, and she couldn't dare meet his eyes, knowing that _she_ was the cause of his pain. Looking down at the ground, she passed him, and he kept his pace beside her easily.

"Fumiko…" he began quietly. "I can't bear to see you like this. Isn't there anything I can do for you?"

She shook her head silently, and he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards him to look directly in those twin azure orbs filled with pain.

"Fumiko, please… just talk to me," he told her, his voice on the urge of desperation.

This brought tears to Fumiko's eyes, and very gently, she pushed him away, turning the other way. "Dammit," she breathed, her hands tightening into fists, "I-I'm getting too emotionally involved in this."

Atsuki walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Fumiko?" he asked worriedly.

"Just… I just need to be alone…" she told him, rubbing away furiously at her forming tears.

"You know I can't allow you to do that," he said quietly. "I have to keep you in my sight. Who knows when you may be attacked? I'll need to be there to protect you."

She turned to look at him, her sad azure gaze meeting his shining black one. "I want you to answer me honestly, Atsuki," she demanded in a monotone. "How do you feel about me?"

He blinked. "What?" he asked, his mind drawing up an immediate blank.

"You heard me," she replied impatiently, "how do you feel about me? Working with you, living with you, whatever. Just… _how_?"

He blinked, successfully preventing a blush from staining his cheeks. "Well… um… you're special to me. You're the only person left that I have from my past. So I can't help but be a little protective of you. I suppose you're like my closest best friend," he half-lied.

Fumiko's fists tightened, and she looked and turned away. "I see…" she said before pushing her schoolbag towards him before running off in the opposite direction.

"Fumiko, wait!" Atsuki shouted, running after her.

"Just leave me alone!" she yelled, dashing into a narrow and small alley around a hard, fast corner.

Atsuki chased her in, but the girl had vanished. Looking around, there was no sign of her.

"Dammit," he swore quietly, grabbing out his cell phone and calling the FORT. "Nola, I lost her. She ran away from me."

"Hold on, I'll get Natsuki to check on her and locate her Shinen," Nola replied. A few moments later, Natsuki joined on the conversation.

"Hey Atsuki!" she exclaimed. "How are you doing? I'm sorry, but I can't pinpoint Fumiko's Shinen. I guess she must have kicked in her CIA training or something."

He growled quietly before Nola added, "I'll get Liu Yee looking for her too. Maybe after working with her for a year, he might have an idea of where she ran off to. I'll make sure he'll be sure to let us know once he finds her."

"Okay, thanks, Nola. In the meanwhile I'll keep looking. She can't have gotten far on foot," Atsuki said. "Keep me updated."

xXx

Meanwhile, Fumiko had used what spy training she had to climb and jump up the brick wall until she was on top of the building.

_I guess that training's still useful after all,_ she thought, dashing quietly across the roof, as she leapt from roof to roof, until she finally reached a building with a fire escape. Climbing down, she made sure to avoid any contact with any of her schoolmates, and headed over to Rainbow Hill in Area 6.

After she arrived, she sighed, sitting on the grass as she watched the sun beginning to set in the distance, the orange light reflecting on the ocean waters below. She knew there wasn't any way Atsuki would be able to find her, as she had placed a powerful block around her Shinen, shielding her. She hugged her knees to her chest as she indulged herself into her thoughts.

_Oh… what am I going to do?_ She thought depressingly. _I can't let my emotions get the best of me. But I don't want to hurt Yayoi's chance of winning Atsuki's heart. It's unfair… to both him, and her. I don't think I can complete this mission with my current cover… I need to talk to the chief about this…_

"Hmmm… big surprise to find _you_ here," a male voice spoke with a sarcastic tone in his voice, causing her to jump a bit.

Fumiko sighed, as she had recognized the voice. She had been so lost in her thoughts, that she couldn't sense him approach. She didn't bother to turn around.

"Liu Yee…" she said quietly, "how did you find me? I hid my Shinen."

He sat down next to her, and she stretched out her legs as they began to become numb, looking at him as he answered.

"I've worked with you for an entire year," he answered indirectly. "I've realized that when you need to retreat into yourself, you find a location with a splendid view. The best place in Kisaragi for a view is here on Rainbow Hill."

"Hmm…" she hummed quietly. "Damn… and I thought I would have a moment to myself."

He smiled. "Don't worry, I won't alert FORT, at least… not yet," he told her. "Now… what's on your mind?"

Her azure eyes looked at him in confusion. "Since when did _you_ become my therapist?" she demanded, her voice in surprise. He just looked at her, masked concern in his eyes, and she sighed. "Okay… well… my problem is that I'm torn between my mission, and my heart. Cheesy, I know."

"How so?" he inquired curiously.

"My heart doesn't want to be unfair to Atsuki, but my mission requires me to do so," she told him. "As you know, my cover is his girlfriend, and this forces him to be, perhaps, 'uncomfortably close' to me. Then there's this girl at our school, I've read her Shinen, and she's jealous, because she likes him very, _very_ much. I feel like I've interrupted what might or could have been. That's why I feel a little guilty, which I've been constantly pushing Atsuki away. I want to give her that chance to confess, and if he accepts her, so be it. If not, then I'll return."

Liu nodded slowly. "I see…"

"When we were kids, Atsuki protected me from this large dog that I was terribly frightened of," she said with a soft smile, "After that incident, he promised me that he'd protect me forever."

Liu looked at her, his eyes suspicious. "And how do you feel about Atsuki now?" he asked, "Are you in love with him?"

Fumiko took a deep breath before answering honestly, "Yes, I am."

"You should tell him," he advised. "He cares for you, you know."

She sighed depressingly. "I _don't_ know…" she replied. "I love him a lot, but… I feel like I need to turn a blind eye and not care about my _own_ feelings for a change."

Very gently, Liu took her hand in his, squeezing reassuringly as he stared her deeply in the eyes. "Fumiko, you've always been worrying about others. You need to be selfish for once," he told her.

"But Atsuki's my childhood friend! He's the only one that I actually can _really_ talk to, other than you, Nola, Natsuki, Ray and my brother. But you know my older brother's back at the CIA as an analyst. Atsuki and Drew are the only ones from my childhood…" she trailed off, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm getting too emotional about this… My training has let me down… This is the first time I've ever fallen in love during a mission. And it hurts… so, so much…"

Slowly, he stood up, pulling her up with him. "Why don't you come live with me for a while? Until you can get things sorted, at least," he offered.

"Awww… Liu…" she murmured, touched by his offer.

"You're like a little sister to me," he reasoned. "It's no trouble at all. And it's only until you can get things sorted with Atsuki, right?"

Fumiko took a deep breath and nodded, and he offered her a small smile, taking out his cell phone and calling FORT.

"Liu!" Nola exclaimed, "Did you find her?"

"Yes," he confirmed, "she's with me right now. And Nola… another thing; Fumiko will live with me for the next little while. She will continue her cover at the school, but she will return to my apartment."

Nola was worried. "What? But why?" she inquired. "Did Fumiko and Atsuki get into a fight?"

"You could say that, yes. In any case, Fumiko needs some time away from Atsuki. He can still protect her during school, but after that I will take responsibility for her safety, unless he is around her at the time," he replied. "Don't mention this to Atsuki, as I will tell him myself."

"Very well…" Nola sighed. "I'll let him know that you are taking her back to his apartment, but I _won't_ mention that you're going to be picking up her things. He's been worried sick."

After he hung up, Liu Yee looked at Fumiko. "Let's head to the apartment. I heard that Atsuki's worried about you."

She looked away, rubbing her arm. "Well… that would probably be because I used my CIA training to escape up to the rooftops as I was running away from him earlier," she admitted, which earned a chuckle from the 24-year-old Sweeper.

"At least you can practice your training," he said optimistically.

Fumiko smiled genuinely at him, and if Liu Yee was able to read Shinen, he would have seen hers light up with yellow. "Yeah, I suppose," she said. "Let's go."

xXx

Atsuki paced around worriedly in his apartment, and he had realized he had fallen deeply in love with Fumiko. He didn't want to lose her; to _anything_, or _anyone_. He wasn't going to allow himself to lose the one he loved. He had recently gotten a call from Nola and was told that Liu Yee had found her and was returning with her to the apartment, therefore, he had gone home and was waiting impatiently.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door, and he composed himself, calmly walking to open the door, where he found Fumiko shyly hiding behind Liu Yee.

"Fumiko, you're okay," Atsuki sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly, and Atsuki could tell from her Shinen that she was still sad.

Liu looked back at her. "I found her on Rainbow Hill. She was perfectly fine," he informed her. "Now… we're just here to pick up her stuff."

Atsuki was confused. "_What?_" he demanded. "Where are you going?"

"She will be living with _me_ for the next little while," Liu answered. "Living with you has pained her heart. She will return to live with you after the dispute is over and you realize your stupidity and apologize for causing her this pain."

"Liu, stop it," Fumiko ordered, her voice breaking on the verge of tears as Liu passed Atsuki to get her suitcase. "It's not his fault, not entirely. Atsuki… forgive Liu for his rudeness… it's not something you should be worrying about."

Atsuki stepped closer to her. "Fumiko, I-… I'm sorry… If I had done anything to hurt you, I'm sorry…" he apologized quietly.

She closed her eyes, facing downwards as a single tear fell from her eyes and rolled down her cheek. "I know…"

"Fumiko…" he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against his chest. "I really _am_ sorry."

She hugged him back briefly for a moment before pulling herself away from him, putting a few feet of distance between them as she continued to look down.

"Atsuki… I guess… I'll see you tomorrow at school then," she said as Liu Yee walked out with her suitcase in hand.

"Did you forget anything?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "I placed everything back in my bag afterwards, so no, I don't believe so," she said quietly.

"Goodbye, Atsuki, keep up the good scouting work so far," Liu stated, looking back at Fumiko. "Come, Fumiko. Let's get going. I'll treat you to dinner after you get settled in."

She forced a sad smile. "Okay, thanks Liu. Bye Atsuki… I'll see you tomorrow…"

The both of them walked away, leaving Atsuki pained, confused, and troubled. What had he done wrong?

xXx

"Do you really think this will help your situation, Fumiko?" Liu Yee inquired as they walked to his apartment far in Area 1.

She nodded gravely. "When Yayoi tells Atsuki of her feelings, and when he gives her his answer… this is all I can do for now… I suppose this is for the best…"

"When we get back, would you like some tea? It might help ease your nerves," he offered.

"Sure," Fumiko sighed. "Thanks."

As he walked alongside her, he added, "I must warn you, the décor in the house is all Chinese-style. So you may smell some incents burning."

"Don't worry, I like Chinese décor, and the smell of incents is really calming, that is… as long as it's not _that_ strong," she assured.

Liu chuckled, "Rest assured, it's just right."

xXx

When they arrived, Liu showed her to her temporary room, and went to go make some tea for them both.

"Hmmm…" Fumiko sighed heavily, looking around the simplistic room. There were two large landscape paintings that had been done Chinese-style. One was a beautiful cherry blossom tree, the other tall mountains and waterfalls. "It's very nice… and rather calming… especially with the incents," she murmured, "Hmmm… hopefully I'll be able to sleep a little more peacefully… but probably not…"

She sat down on the large bed, smoothing out the ruffles on the sheets. "At least not until this entire ordeal is over…" she added quietly, lying down to stare up at the ceiling. "Find courage, Yayoi…" she murmured, "this heartsickness will probably eventually become my undoing…"

* * *

**Aww... It'll be alright, Fumiko-chan... I think... O_O **

**lolz. we'll see. **

**Well... things are getting interesting, aren't they. Will Fumiko and Atsuki make up? **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Day 6: Requests

**Well... things have been interesting so far, huh? hmmm... I wonder what's going to happen next? lolz. **

**Sorry that this chapter's a little short. :D Hope you like it anyway!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Five: Day 6 – Requests

The next morning after a restless, sleepless night, Fumiko got up a little earlier than usual, as she had a longer ways to go to get to Kisaragi High. She changed into her uniform, and had found a nice breakfast prepared for her, but her host was nowhere to be seen.

"Awww… that was sweet of him," she commented to no one in particular before yawning tiredly. Ever since her heart's confliction, she hadn't been able to get a decent night's sleep. Either she woke up at odd hours from some sort of nightmare, or she couldn't even sleep at all.

She looked around and he was nowhere to be seen. However, he had left a note in flawless handwriting:

_Good morning Fumiko,_

_I've gone out to do a morning patrol around Kisaragi._

_Please enjoy the breakfast I've prepared for you. _

_Later,_

_Liu_

She smiled, sitting down to eat the breakfast Liu had taken time to prepare for her, and she washed the dishes after she finished before grabbing her bag and leaving the apartment. She arrived at school a little earlier than she expected, and she walked into the quad, where it was almost empty. Suddenly, she heard calling of her name, and turned to see Hibiki Kiryu running towards her.

"Good morning, Kasugazaki," he greeted.

Fumiko gave him a soft smile. "Good morning, Kiryu," she replied back.

Hibiki's eyes looked a little sad. "Kasugazaki, I know this is a terrible time for me to ask you this, but… do you want to go out on a date with me tomorrow? I have something I want to discuss with you."

Fumiko blinked. "We have a little time right now," she reminded him, "you could always tell me now."

He led her to a less-populated corner, where, right as Atsuki walked onto the quad, Hibiki pinned Fumiko to the wall, his face just inches above hers.

"K-Kiryu, what are you doing?" Fumiko demanded, her Shinen turning into one of worry, and Atsuki tensed.

The silver-haired teen wanted so badly to go over there and tell Hibiki to get away from her, but stopped himself. He knew Fumiko couldn't stand to even look at him without being near the brink of tears for the time being, so it was best he didn't interfere. Plus, he knew very well that she could take care of herself so he forced himself to walk away from the scene and sat down at a nearby stone bench.

"I'm sorry, but I need to ask you something," Hibiki apologized, leaning closer so his lips were at her ear. "Are you an agent of FORT?"

Her azure eyes widened as she gasped in surprise. "How did you know?" she breathed into his ear. "You don't use Σ, do you?"

He shook his head. "Not anymore. But I know that Saijo is a FORT agent, as well as that Liu Yee guy that I fought previously," Kiryu explained. "Plus… I could… sense, let's say, that your Shinen was different from others, but a little more similar to Atsuki's and Liu Yee's."

Fumiko smirked. "Is that so?" she inquired. "And therefore I wonder why _you_ aren't a part of FORT. You'd make a brilliant agent."

He quietly chuckled. "Would you still come on a date with me tomorrow?" he requested.

She sighed, taking a moment to ponder it. "Very well, I accept. I take it you may have something _else_ you'd like to tell me tomorrow?" she inquired.

Hibiki chuckled again, confirming her suspicions. He stood back, and she walked past him.

"I'll see you later in class," Fumiko said.

"Until then," he agreed, flashing her a sweet smile.

She began heading towards the computer room, and as Atsuki saw her departing from Kiryu, walked over to her, keeping up with her pace.

"Hey, Fumiko," he greeted uneasily.

"Good morning, Atsuki," she greeted back in a monotone, avoiding looking at him. "Are you well this morning?"

Mentally, he smiled at her concern. However, his facial expression revealed nothing. "I suppose, but I _would_ be better if I knew why you were upset with me."

"Hmm… perhaps," she replied. "Or maybe it would have the opposite effect and make you a little more upset."

He looked at her. "I'm not _that_ upset," he told her.

"I can tell by your Shinen that you're confused, concerned, _and_ still wondering why I'm being so distant," she guessed. "Don't forget that I can also use Σ as well as you can. But… I _am_ sorry for cause you all that pain."

Atsuki walked in front of her and turned around, stopping to look at her, and she avoided his gaze.

"Fumiko… are you angry with me?" he asked worriedly. "Have I done something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No… I'm just…" she stopped, choosing her words carefully, "…waiting… for someone to do something... now please, just drop it. It's beginning to make me a little too depressed just thinking about it."

Walking around him, she proceeded to walk towards the computer room, and he followed along closely.

"Atsuki… you don't have to follow me," Fumiko told him as he kept after her. "I know it's your job to protect me while we're at school, but still… you have to watch your own back too. If you need help, don't be afraid to let me know."

"I'm _choosing_ to follow you," he reasoned. "Why are you heading to the computer room anyway?"

"A talk with Shinji about me, that's all," she sighed. "Now… do you mind not following me?"

Atsuki continued to follow her anyways and she sighed even _more_ depressingly. Suddenly, a striking pain entered her mind, and it crashed into her head like a raging Tsunami. With a pained gasp, she dropped to her knees, both hands at her head as she tried to block it out. Immediately, Atsuki was at her side.

"Fumiko! Fumiko!" he exclaimed, his hands on her shoulders. Immediately he began trying to help her, helping her strengthen the block on her mind.

As quickly as it came, the pain subsided, and Fumiko exhaled deeply, azure eyes fluttering open.

"Are you okay?" Atsuki inquired.

She nodded. "I-I'll be fine," she assured. "Please… just… I'm alright." Trying to stand, she stumbled against Atsuki, and he held her close before she pulled away, picking up her bag with her hand on the wall for support. "Thanks for your help," she told him, still not looking at him. "But I can manage the rest of the way."

"Fumiko…" he murmured as she began to walk away. Carefully, he followed after her from a distance away before she disappeared into the computer room. As expected, the computer genius was there typing away at a computer; the exact _same_ computer as always.

"Morning, Naruse," she greeted.

He turned to look at her. "Good morning," he replied cheerfully. "So… you have a brother still in the agency?"

Fumiko nodded. "My elder brother Drew," she answered. "With all due respect, can you _please_ not read my file; it makes me feel a little insecure knowing that someone outside the agency knows all of my secrets and history record."

"Ah, sorry," he apologized. "I'm just so intrigued by how much you've done in such a short time. You were recruited at age 13, then resigned 2 years later. Do you ever think about going back into the field?"

She sighed, shrugging, "Well… unless I can't find anything better to do, I might think about going back into the field. I've already seen a _lot_ more than I've ever wanted to; government secrets, nuclear weapons plans, possible terrorist attacks, rivalling agencies that want to destroy the world, it's just all gets too much after a while. Sometimes it's hard to even _sleep_ at night because of knowing all these things."

Shinji grimaced. "That must not be fun," he agreed. "I myself stay up rather late to work on my programs."

Suddenly, the door slid open and Atsuki walked in, much to Fumiko's displeasure, as she was hoping to give Yayoi the chance to confess. But how could she confess if Atsuki's ex-girlfriend was practically everywhere he went?

"Good morning, Naruse," Atsuki greeted, "good morning, Fumiko."

"Morning, Saijo," Shinji replied easily.

"Morning," Fumiko muttered inaudibly. "Anyway, Naruse, yeah, I may consider returning to the field. I'll probably have gained a little more experience then, and I can blend in better with people."

He looked at her. "But do you still have any cool spy gadgets left with you?" he inquired curiously.

She nodded. "Of course," she answered, "we get to keep all of our equipment after we ensure that there are not bugs that are placed. Why?" she grinned. "Are you curious?"

Shinji nodded excitedly, and Fumiko pulled out a pen from her bag.

"This actually has a tranquilizer dart within it," she told him. "Quick effects, so therefore it's really easy to knock someone out easily. I have more of my gadgets at home, but I don't keep any of them here."

"Do you own a gun?" Shinji inquired.

"Used to," she answered honestly. "I have a license to use one, and I have one reserved in my safety deposit box in every country I've journeyed to. And I have one in Kisaragi City as well, _but_ I will only get it if it's absolutely necessary."

His eyes widened. "Impressive," he commented. "So does that mean you were a big-shot agent then?"

"Yep," she said with a smile. "And sometimes I still get these pesky phone calls from the CIA, asking to come back to the agency. Either that or asking me to go on 'one last mission'. Being me, I suppose, I hang up on them. I even hung up on Director Smith one time, I don't think he was too impressed by that, but he knows me." She grinned sheepishly.

Atsuki smiled gently. "So what's the easiest type of mission you've been on?" he asked curiously.

Fumiko sighed, "Type of mission? Well… I think it would probably be stakeouts, because all you do on them is observe, report, and act if necessary."

"And the hardest?" Shinji inquired.

"Sieges and recovery," she replied without hesitation, glancing up as if in thought, "but I _did_ have to go along on this assassination mission once… not fun… But I suppose that would only be because it's not very easy to break into a fortress on an island in the middle of nowhere." She sighed depressingly at the memory, "So many guards… so little time…"

The computer genius' eyes widened. "How'd you get through it then?"

"Stun bomb," Fumiko answered with a grin. "It seemed like the easiest way. Then I had to lead in a siege team to infiltrate the inner wall before I accompanied a friend of mine into the main building where I single-handedly had to hold off about a dozen of this guy's best guards while my fellow agent went in to assassinate our target."

"Sounds a little scary, taking on 12 well-trained guards by yourself," Atsuki commented with a gentle chuckle. "I'm surprised that you didn't refuse to go on the mission."

She gave him a small but genuine smile. "Nope, I found the idea of it pretty interesting. _And_ with the fact that it was a mission to infiltrate a fortress on an island in the middle of nowhere already caught my attention," she admitted. "We had a mission successful, and we had very little to no casualties."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the computer lab door before it slid open to reveal Yayoi Kamishiro standing there.

"Ah, g-good morning everyone," she greeted shyly.

"Morning, Kamishiro," Fumiko replied.

"Good morning, Yayoi," Atsuki and Shinji greeted.

Yayoi flushed in embarrassment before saying, "Um… I didn't mean to overhear, but what Kasugazaki, what did you mean by having 'little to no casualties' on your 'successful mission'?"

"Ah," Fumiko answered easily, "I was playing this great strategy video game last night, and I was telling Atsuki and Naruse how well I did on this one round where I got a 'mission successful' results screen and I had very little casualties to my team."

"O-Oh…" she murmured before looking at Atsuki. "U-Um… Atsuki, c-can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

The silver-haired teen nodded, following the redhead out of the room.

"Very nice lie you made up there," Shinji commented quietly to her, "very convincing."

She grinned at him. "Thank you. It's become a skill of mine after training at the you-know-where for a while," she replied just as quietly. _I wonder what those two are talking about outside,_ she thought, glancing at the door. _Maybe she'll confess? Hmm… probably not. Yayoi _is_ pretty shy._

"By the way, do you still have feelings for Saijo?" Shinji asked. "The reason I ask is because, well, I'm no therapist, but it seems you still can't exactly let go of him yet."

Fumiko smiled sadly at him. "Yeah, you're right. I _can't_ let go of him," she agreed. "I still love him very much."

"But why don't you tell him that?" he asked. "I don't think he can exactly let go of you yet either."

She sighed, looking out one of the places many windows. "Because I'm waiting… for _that_ moment," she informed enigmatically. "I'm sorry, but it's just really complicated."

"Meh," he replied simply, shrugging and turning back to his computer. "I suppose if it doesn't have anything to do with computers and such I have no real issue with it. As long as no one gets hurt too badly."

"Yeah," Fumiko agreed, twisting her head away as she rubbed her arm worriedly, "yeah…"

xXx

"So, what is it, Yayoi?" Atsuki asked as they had closed the door after them as they went outside.

She toyed with her fingers nervously. "Um… I know this may seem like terrible timing, considering you and Kasugazaki just broke-up and all… b-but…" she stammered, "I-I was wondering whether you wanted to go out with me tomorrow… l-like on a date?" She added quickly, "A-As friends, o-of course!"

His shining black eyes blinked in surprise. He had initially planned to try and talk with Fumiko the next day, and if not, at least just keep an eye on her so she wouldn't be attacked at random. But he didn't want to hurt Yayoi either. Comparing the two, he thought that things may be easier if he just went with Yayoi.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed, "I'd love to."

Her eyes widened. She hadn't expect him to say 'yes' so quickly. "T-Thanks, Atsuki! I-I'll see you tomorrow, then, o-okay? I'll tell you the rest of the details later during lunch or after school."

Suddenly, the door slid open and Fumiko stepped out, looking at them. "Sorry if I interrupted you two, I was just going on my way," she said, quickly stepping to leave the two back in privacy.

As she hurried off, both of them stared after her.

"I guess you both are still not on the best of terms, are you…" Yayoi guessed.

Atsuki shook his head, his eyes glittering with sadness. "I hope we'll make up soon," he sighed. "If we can only be friends, that's fine too."

"I-I see," she murmured. "W-Well… I-I guess I'll see you later in class, Atsuki!" Hurriedly, she skipped off in the direction of the art room, her Shinen glowing with happiness.

_Where could she have gone?_ Atsuki wondering, staring in the direction of where Fumiko ran off to. _Maybe I should go look for her?_

Taking a step forward, he suddenly sensed a new Shinen approaching the school, and began to hurry off towards the quad.

* * *

**Ooh... I wonder what's going to happen. Find out next time! **

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	6. Another Mission

**Yay! It's the next chapter! It seems that the past is catching up with Fumiko, and the CIA wants her back. What will she do? Moreso, what's ATSUKI going to say when he finds her putting herself in danger? **

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* * *

Chapter Six: Another Mission

"Yeah… I understand," Fumiko murmured.

She was speaking to a tall man dressed in a full black suit, with black sunglasses. He had pale skin and short black hair. They stood at the gates of Kisaragi High School, speaking quietly to each other.

"This will be a dangerous mission, Agent Kasugazaki," he told her.

"_Ex-agent_ Kasugazaki," she corrected.

He ignored her and continued. "They have the entire building under heavy guard, _and_ they have hostages."

"Damien, Sir, I really don't even understand _why_ I'm going on this mission," she told him. "You know I'm retired from the field."

He put a hand on his shoulder. "The Director demanded this himself. We have no choice, Agent Kasugazaki," he replied. "We _need_ someone who's familiar with this area. And you're the stealthiest we have in Kisaragi."

"Why is the CIA involved? Shouldn't the local police department be dealing with this?" she demanded, "Why the CIA?"

"They're part of a huge international gang that the CIA have been tracking for _years_," Damien explained. "We thought it would be better if we took over."

"Why not ask Agents Martin or Walker?" Fumiko argued. "They're in Kisaragi City as well."

"They're helping out on this mission," Damien replied. "Agent Walker will be giving you contacting you through this earpiece." He handed her an earpiece and she grimaced, noticing Atsuki in the corner of her peripheral vision approaching them, but stopping just out of earshot.

She put in the earpiece on and sighed, "And is Agent Martin my backup?"

He nodded, removing his sunglasses to look at her with grave dark chocolate eyes. "Agent Kasugazaki, you know there's no such thing as retirement from the agency," he told her. "Once an agent, _always_ an agent."

"Dammit, I _told_ the agency I didn't want to be contacted," Fumiko growled quietly.

"Fumiko," he said softly, "it's been _two years_ since we've seen each other; since you've been on a mission. We _need_ you back as an agent." He offered out a pair of casual jeans and a black collared jacket. The only thing was that there was a police belt tied onto the jeans.

Atsuki walked over closer towards them, a little worried about what was happening.

Rolling her eyes, Fumiko took them, removing her shoes to slip on the jeans before removing the skirt, readjusting the jeans. She removed her Kisaragi High uniform jacket, and slipped on the black jacket over her white blouse.

"Atsuki, hold on to my things," Fumiko instructed with a sigh, adjusting the collar of her jacket as she took out a hair tie from her bag to tie her hair up into a neat bun.

"Fumiko, where are you going?" Atsuki inquired as he took her jacket, skirt and bag.

Damien handed Fumiko her CIA badge and her gun, and she holstered the gun and slipped the badge into her back jean pocket.

"Atsuki… I have a mission," she told him softly. "Tell Ms. Aoi that I'm sorry but I had to leave on an emergency call. Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"I'm coming with you," Atsuki said immediately.

She shook her head. "It's safer here," she said gently, offering him a small but warm smile. She turned back to her old friend. "Damien, let's go."

He saluted her with a stamp of his foot. "Yes ma'am!" They headed to the car, and Atsuki felt worried, deciding to read the Residual Shinen that Damien had left after folding Fumiko's clothes into her bag.

_Hostage situation… AMS Bank… whole building surrounded… locate ex-Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki… dire situation… little time… international gang… terrible situation… must hurry… possibly casualties… need the best… dangerous… _

"Oh no," Atsuki murmured, but the car had already drove off in a hurry. "Dammit, I've got to go after them!" He ran off in the direction of AMS Bank in Area 2, and his cell phone rang.

"Atsuki!" Nola's voice snapped, "There's a huge amount of dangerous and violent Shinen gathered in Area 2 that's been there for a little while. I was waiting for the opportunity where you were outside of school before I called. Did you sense it too or something?"

"No," he responded. "The CIA came to get Fumiko to help them out. But after they left, I read the CIA agent's R. Shinen and apparently there may be some casualties. It's a hostage situation and the whole AMS Bank building has been infiltrated and surrounded. I'm worried about Fumiko."

"Hurry, Atsuki," she encouraged. "By the way, have you told her how you felt yet?"

"No," he said, "I still feel a rift between us, and so I don't want to jump into that."

Nola felt concerned. "Atsuki, you need to tell her sometime soon," she said, "or else you might lose her. Chief Ray always knew that a part of her would be called back to the CIA, and so we always knew that she wouldn't always remain here with us in FORT forever. She'll probably end up returning back one day. So you need to tell her, Atsuki."

"I-I will… but not anytime soon," he replied, and she scowled. "Don't worry, Nola, I promise I'll tell her soon."

Hanging up, Atsuki was just about to put away his cell phone before it rang again.

"Hello?" he asked, not breaking pace.

"Saijo, it's Mika," Mika whispered into the phone.

He was genuinely surprised by her call. "Mika? Why are you whispering?"

"Please, don't tell Akira, but call for help. I'm in the AMS Bank being held hostage with others," she explained quietly, "Gotta go, can't let them find that I'm calling someone."

As the phone hung up, Atsuki ran as fast as he could, hoping in his heart that his friends would be okay.

xXx

When Fumiko arrived at the front of AMS Bank, the entire building was already surrounded by local police cars, armoured vans, and police barricade, but it seemed like they managed to successfully contain the media from arriving on scene. Leaping out of the black car, she looked around, and Adrian and Alex hurried over to her.

"Fumiko, you're here!" Adrian exclaimed.

"Yeah," she replied, "what's the current situation?"

"36 hostages, I'd say about 62 gunmen, and no one's dead… yet," Alex answered.

Fumiko rolled her eyes. "Of course," she sighed heavily.

"No worries," Adrian assured. "We've been through worse."

"Entrance and exit points?" Fumiko began expectantly.

"There's a front entrance, emergency exits, and several staircase exits. For the emergency and staircase exits, we suspect there are guards posted just inside those doors. There's something like a barricade on the front entrance," Alex explained, showing her a layout and map of the building. "Our most likely hope is to get in from one of these air vents on the sides here, and here." He pointed with his finger at the two ground air vents.

"Security cameras?" she mentioned.

"Tapped into them, and we've got clear live security footage. _They_ seem to know it too, but they're acting like they don't care that we're watching," Adrian answered.

"Where are the hostages?" she queried, eyes suspicious, as if her entire plan relied on this sole question.

Alex stared her directly in the eyes. "The live footage shows that they've all been gathered in the main ground floor area."

She dipped her head once in approval. "Demands?" she asked.

They shrugged and Alex elaborated, "It was pretty vague. They only called once to say that they 'wanted the girl'. Do you have any idea what that means? Or do you think it could be possibly some sort of suicide trap?"

"No," Fumiko answered immediately, "they wouldn't have brought in so many men if that were the case, _nor_ keep the hostages alive if that were the case. In any case, we'll have to be careful. I'm pretty sure it's some sort of trap."

Adrian grinned at her. "So what's our strategy partner?" he inquired.

"Well… no Kevlar vests here, they'll be a little bulky," she sighed, "we'll have to grab a light basic one. This is a complete stealth mission."

Both Alex and Adrian grinned at her.

"You have a plan, I suppose?" Alex guessed knowledgably.

She dipped her head. "Adrian, you take the far left vent while I take the right," she explained, "we'll keep our signals from our devices clear to Alex so he can track us wherever we go. The first vent into a room, take it. Take down any men in the room with bullet-fire or old-school fighting, I don't care, whatever works at the time. Then after you're done, proceed towards the main lobby, taking down men as you go. We need as less resistance force as possible. Once you're in hall right outside the main lobby, stay clear of sight until we're both clear _and_ Alex gives us the 'go'."

"The hostages are all gathered on the south side of the hall, so you'll be running in front of them," Alex added. "So that may help you guys defend the hostages better. Except you will have to take out the two standing behind the hostages that are watching them."

"We'll take them out first before we expose ourselves to take on the others there," Adrian reasoned. "After that, a team should go in after we secure the hostages."

Fumiko's eyes hardened as she stared hard at the floor plan. "Something just doesn't seem right though," she argued. "This seems a little _too_ straightforward. There _has_ to be a trap somewhere, I just _feel _it." _I'm too far from anyone inside to read their Shinen with Σ, so I'm unable to solve this,_ she contemplated, _maybe after I get in there, it'll be easier to deal with them by just crushing their minds with Σ, but that can only work if I'm still hidden, because I need to concentrate. In addition, I'm not very good controlling and using 'Σ Erase' yet, so it'll be a little risky if I do things that way._

"So, everything okay?" Alex inquired, looking at them both.

Fumiko sighed, "We're going to need a lot of ammo for this, _especially_ when we have to deal with them in the lobby."

"I'll gather those for the both of us," Adrian announced, hurrying off.

"And I'll prepare and set our communication links," Alex added, heading off into the CIA van.

Scratching at her head, Fumiko sighed heavily. Whatever happened to retirement? Suddenly, a pair of footsteps approached, and Fumiko turned to see Police Chief Aya, an undercover FORT agent, as well as Atsuki.

"Atsuki, what are you doing here?" Fumiko snapped, "This is a terrible place to be right now."

He looked worriedly at her. "I was worried about you," he told her.

Aya grinned at her. "I picked him up on my way here myself," she admitted, her face turning serious. "What's your plan?"

Fumiko removed her black coat and handed it to one of her helpers. "My partner and I are going in," she announced as she unbuttoned her blouse, revealing a light blue tank top as she removed her blouse, exchanging it for a pure black T-shirt as she continued to talk, slipping it on. "We're going in stealthy and so it'll just be the two of us. We're going to break in through the air vents and make our way to the main lobby. After we secure the hostages, we have a team prepared to go in to take down the rest of them."

Aya's eyes grew worried. "But Kasugazaki, that's an insane plan!" she argued. "It'll just be the two of you against at least 62 armed gunmen in there."

Atsuki's eyes widened in horror. "Fumiko, you _can't_ go in there!" he gasped, "That's suicide!"

"Don't worry, Atsuki, Aya," Fumiko reassured, "we've dealt with harder missions than this."

Adrian returned and handed Fumiko her bullet-resistant vest, blinking at Atsuki. "Saijo? What are you doing here? It isn't safe."

"I was worried about _her_," he informed, giving a nod in Fumiko's direction as she put on her vest before putting on a kind-of body harness with straps with pockets that made an X. wearing a new tighter jacket over it.

"But I heard you two broke up," he told him in confusion. "Did I miss the make-up?"

Fumiko shook her head. "He's just worried as a friend, I suppose," she explained as a man dressed in black scurried over to offer out her a platter of two guns and many full clips. "Ah, thank you."

"I'm going in with you," Atsuki argued.

"That's out of the question," Adrian snapped immediately. "You're underage to even _hold_ a gun!"

Fumiko glared at him as she holstered two black handguns into the inside pockets of the jacket. "Ahem?" she reminded.

"With _her_ as an exception," he corrected, glancing briefly at her on the emphasis. "You're not an agent, Saijo. You don't have the proper training like Fumiko went through."

"He's right," she agreed, tucking four clips into the pockets on the straps. "I need you to wait here with the others."

Atsuki bit his lip. "Fumiko, Mika's in there," he informed her quietly.

"Dammit," she breathed, face scrunching in conflict. "Fine, but you're wearing a Kevlar vest." She knew he would go in there anyways, because a friend was in danger. It would be easier for her to protect him if he was there beside her where she could keep an eye on him.

"Fumiko?" Adrian gasped, "Are you insane?"

"Kasugazaki, you can't be serious," Aya tried to reason, horrified.

She clicked her fingers, and a man came over. She asked for a Kevlar vest, and while he went to get one, she explained to them, "I'll take responsibility for Atsuki's safety, even if I should get myself killed. I know this isn't the smartest idea, but unless I do this, he'll probably act recklessly and get _himself_ killed, possibly blowing our entire operation, and once we're in there, who _knows_ what could go down?"

"But Fumiko…" Adrian began.

"No, Adrian," she interrupted sternly. "That is my final say on it. It's either I let him come with us, or else I shoot him in the leg right now to make sure he doesn't come with us. Atsuki, come here, I'll get you ready. You're far from ready to receive and use an actual handgun, so I have no choice but to give you a powerful tranquilizer dart gun, which I hope you won't have to use."

The silver-haired teen nodded, his shining black eyes grave. Removing his Kisaragi High School uniform jacket, he put on the thick Kevlar vest and had a special belt tied around his waist with a tranquilizer dart gun in the holster.

Fumiko had two fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as her other hand was leaning over against a car door. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this," she moaned. "Director Smith would _kill_ me if he saw me issuing these orders."

"Fumiko, are you really sure about this?" Adrian inquired, "It's not that I doubt your skills, but it'll be more difficult for you if you have to protect Saijo at the same time. You could get yourself killed."

Her expression twisted to one of pain and confliction. "Then so be it," she choked quietly.

Atsuki mentally winced, not wanting Fumiko to get injured because of him. He hoped nothing would be wrong as he watched Adrian hug her tightly.

"Fumiko," he murmured, "this isn't right."

"It's either this or else he'll probably find some way to break in while getting past us," she explained. "It's safer for all of us if he's right by my side where I can protect him."

He stared directly into her azure eyes. "But Fumiko," he began quietly.

She shook her head, staring at him with sad eyes. "It's alright, Adrian. I'll make sure that this mission will be successful," she promised quietly before pulling away and turning to Atsuki. "Come on, let's go."

"Please be careful, all three of you," Aya begged.

They nodded before sneaking through the trees until they reached their positions on each side.

"Atsuki, why did you decide to come?" Fumiko demanded, an angry Shinen rising in her. "This isn't just about Mika, is it…?"

"No," he agreed. "I'm worried about you too. I want to try and protect you, Fumiko. I made a promise to you all those years ago." _And because I have fallen in love with you,_ he added mentally, not speaking a word.

Fumiko sighed. _Just because of a promise…_ she thought, taking a screwdriver from her pocket and quickly removing the screws holding the large air vent. _Well… I'll give him points for bravery._

After she removed the cover, she told Atsuki quietly, "Follow me, but be as quiet as you can. Proceed very _slowly_ as to not make a sound." Into her tiny microphone on her jacket, she spoke quietly, "Alex, you got our signal? Good. Adrian, let's begin our infiltration."

She got on her hands and knees and pushed herself in, laying flat on the metal and slowly pulling herself through, Atsuki following suit. Soon enough, Fumiko had found their exit point air vent, peeking through it to find at least 6 armed gunmen directly below them. The room was practically empty, except with a long hardwood coffee table on the side, and an open door.

"Okay, I'm going in," she announced quietly, slowly removing the vent while making sure that none of them looked up. She quietly slid past it so that her feet were just barely sticking out of the vent before taking a deep breath. Then she fluently dropped down through the vent and onto the ground.

"Hey!" one of the men exclaimed as they all turned, but it was already too late.

Immediately Fumiko knocked the gun out of his hands with a roundhouse kick before following up with more kicks and punches to knock out the other guns before they were fired. Then as they began to fight with their fists, Fumiko ducked down to avoid a punch before lashing her foot backwards to kick the man behind her before expertly knocking out the rest. Taking a deep but satisfied breath, Fumiko looked back up into the open air vent, where Atsuki had been staring at the scene with wide eyes.

"Come on!" she hissed quietly, motioning towards her with a hand.

Taking a breath, he pulled himself through, underestimating the height and nearly fell headfirst if Fumiko didn't jump up to twirl him upright before they both landed back shakily on the ground.

"A-Ah, thanks," he said.

She nodded, suddenly noticing a peculiar black hole peeking out from the side of the doorway.

"Watch out!" she gasped, pushing him out of the way as a single red dart shot her in the neck instead of him. Biting her lip in slight pain, she pulled out her gun before firing three shots through the wall, killing the man that shot her on the other side as his body fell with a slump.

"Fumiko!" Atsuki gasped, hurrying to her side as she collapsed against the wall with dizziness.

"Fumiko, Fumiko, are you okay?" Alex shouted through the communicator.

She yanked the dart from her neck and moaned as she looked at it. "Damn, its Pentothal," she swore quietly, closing her eyes as dizziness overtook her, "it's gotta be strong if it's _this_ effective."

"Pentothal?" he inquired.

"It's a drug that will eventually kill you with time, having signs of dizziness and probably passing out later. It has a powerful truth-telling side effect, but CIA agents have been trained to withstand the truth-telling portions as to not reveal any secrets," she explained, reopening her eyes as slowly trying to get up.

Atsuki helped her, and he looked apologetic. "Fumiko, I'm sorry. It's my fault," he mumbled to her guiltily. "Had I have sensed that guy's Shinen, I might have been able to-"

She shook her head furiously, though regretted it afterwards as a wave of dizziness and pain crashed into her senses. "N-No," she breathed, her hand on his shoulder, "it's alright. We'll get the antidote later. First we've gotta finish this."

"Fumiko?" Alex inquired worriedly.

"Alex, I've been injected with what seems to be a near-lethal dose of Pentothal," she explained. "The guy was aiming for Atsuki, but I took the shot myself instead. I'm not sure how long I have before I get knocked out. There must have been a lot, because I nearly feel like passing out now."

"Fumiko," he told her, "abort mission, _now_."

"No," she replied, focusing hard to pick up her gun. "I can still do this. The place isn't that much farther, we can get there. Just need to go up one floor and through the hall. I'll do what I have to. I don't care whether you decide to come in yourself, I started this mission, and I'm going to finish it."

Determinedly, she pushed herself to walk towards the door, her gun drawn as she peeked both ways, aiming her gun out in front of her.

"Atsuki, come on," she ordered, her breaths quickening a bit.

As he followed along through the corridor, he quietly told her about the men that were approaching after hearing the gunshots.

"Thanks," she breathed as they pressed their backs into the wall next to a sharp corner, Fumiko hearing footsteps before quickly turning to shoot several times, taking down about 3 of the 10 men. As they readied to fire back, she turned to press herself back next to Atsuki, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Fumiko, you're dizzy and weak," he told her, but she shook her head, turning back to shoot and returning next to him. "I'm sorry I came," he apologized. "I only made myself a liability to you."

"It's alright," she reassured him as they hid from the gunfire. "You came to help Mika, right?" Her eyes fluttered weakly as she fought to keep upright. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face, and Atsuki could clearly see that she was fighting hard to stay conscious. Turning, she shot again, finally taking down the last of them. Sighing heavily, she collapsed against the wall, panting heavily as she wiped away the sweat with her sleeve.

"Fumiko…" Atsuki murmured painfully, kneeling next to her.

"Let's continue," she told him quickly, trying hard to stand up. "It's just a little further. Adrian's waiting for our signal. Let's hurry."

* * *

**Hmmm... will Fumiko be okay? What's gonna happen next? **

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	7. Time's Running Out

**'kay, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it!**

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Claimer; everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Time's Running Out

After a rather exhausting trek through the elevator hallway, Fumiko panted heavily as the Pentothal drug was threatening to knock her out. She leaned tiredly against Atsuki as they travelled up the elevator one floor to the main one. She had already finished one of her backup clips, with three left, _and _a second gun. Her aim was worsening. Atsuki held her worriedly, an arm around her waist. He felt so guilty for letting her get shot in his place, and now she was suffering the consequences.

"Atsuki," she breathed gently.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She sighed. "I don't think _this_ is the source of the Shinen that was trying to get into my mind," she told him. "This is just some unfortunate attack."

His grip around her tightened, and her head lolled to have her cheek rest against his shoulder, her eyes closed as she continued to pant. A fever was beginning to develop as another side effect of the Pentothal.

"Fumiko, I'm so sorry," he apologized, pressing his face against her hair.

"Apologize… _after_ we get outta here alive, 'kay?" she retorted as the elevator _dinged_. Pulling away, she aimed her gun in front of her if there were any guards posted outside the elevator doors, but there were none. Just an empty hallway. "Hurry," she breathed, still swiftly hurrying to the end of the hall, dropping with her back to the wall, peering over to survey the area.

Alex had been correct. All the hostages were pushed to the south end of the bank, away from the main doors. There were only two guards behind the hostages, keeping watch of them as they lay on the floor with their hands beside their heads.

Peering back, Fumiko caught sight of about 34 men, all armed. She turned back, closing her eyes as she breathed quietly into her communicator, "Adrian? Are you in position?"

"I am," he replied. "Are you alright? I heard what happened."

"No," she replied quietly, "the Pentothal has already taken away most of my strength. We have to end this _now_. I'll need the antidote soon or else the drug will kill me."

Atsuki's eyes widened. He didn't know that the drug would be fatal so quickly. He very gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she gave him a weak, apologetic smile.

"Are you sure you're alright to do this, Fumiko?" Adrian inquired.

"Yes," she breathed hesitantly, taking careful aim, though her hands were unsteady. "Take down the far man behind the hostages on my side, the one you have sight of, I'll take the other. On my go… one… two… _now_!"

Immediately, with one accurate shot, both CIA agents immediately took down the two guards behind the hostages, and they screamed at the sound of gunfire, panicking as Fumiko and Adrian revealed themselves. They braced themselves for a gunfight as they aimed their guns, but none of the 34 men moved. Atsuki snuck behind the desks to make for the hostages, looking for Mika.

"Excellent," a man said, stepping out to make himself more visible. He had slick black hair, and was wearing a casual black jacket, white shirt, and jeans. "You've brought the girl."

Instantaneously, both agents were confused. _Fumiko_ was the girl that they demanded? But why?

"What are you talking about?" Adrian demanded, keeping the barrel trained on the man's forehead.

"Fumiko Kasugazaki," he called, and she wavered for a moment. "My name is Tetsuya Jigarashi. You've been poisoned with Pentothal, haven't you?"

"H-How did you know?" she demanded, her voice raspy.

He chuckled, his grey eyes shining brightly with amusement. "You're not the only ones who were paying attention to the security cameras," he said, pulling out a vial from his pocket. "_This_ is the only antidote strong enough to save you, Agent Kasugazaki."

Meanwhile, Atsuki had found Mika in no time.

"Atsuki, it's you!" she gasped in utter surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I got your call," he replied, "the CIA and local police are outside. Two CIA agents are here trying to take care of things. Mika, you should know something. You know Fumiko? She's actually an ex-CIA agent."

"What?" the journalist exclaimed quietly. "So _she's_ the one that brought you here?"

He nodded gravely. "Now, we need to get all of you safely out of here. We need to see what's going on."

They peered through one of the holes in the bottom of one of the desks, and saw the gang leader's men point their guns at the two CIA agents.

"Do you want to live, Miss Kasugazaki?" Tetsuya asked.

"What do you _want_ from me?" she demanded.

He chuckled. "_You_, of course. You're the youngest agent ever to join the CIA," he replied. "Do you _know_ how feared you could be if you joined us? The _power_ I could give you?"

"I'll pass, thanks," she replied dryly.

His expression dropped, and he slipped the antidote back into his pocket. "Very well," he sighed heavily, suddenly drawing his gun and shooting her once.

The bullet has pierced through her left arm, just above the elbow, but the pain had only added to the effects of the Pentothal, causing her knees to break under her. As she dropped to the ground, Adrian dived for cover as they opened fire at him.

"Fumiko!" he cried, "Fumiko!"

Weakly, Fumiko still found the last of her strength and used it to roll out of the line of fire to safety, where she found herself falling into an endless spiral of pain.

"Fumiko!" Adrian shouted, but she didn't reply. Her chest heaved as she took shallow, weak breaths.

Suddenly, the glass doors in front were blasted open, and the special SWAT team they had organized stormed in to take care of the rest of the men. But it seemed that Tetsuya had disappeared. Apparently in the frenzy of gunfire while Adrian and Fumiko had taken cover, he had mysteriously disappeared.

"Fumiko!" Adrian cried, and Atsuki and Mika peered to look for Fumiko, finding her body limp on the ground, her chest heaving, blood pooling around her arm.

"Fumiko!" Atsuki shouted, but the young woman didn't stir. Sensing from her Shinen that something was terribly wrong, he tried to make his way over to her, telling Mika to stay put. When he managed to arrive next to her, he shook her violently. "Fumiko, wake up, please, wake up!"

But she didn't open her eyes, and he pulled her up against his chest. "Fumiko! Fumiko!" he cried. "Wake up!" As moments went by, her body began to grow colder and colder in his arms.

"Fumiko… please…" he begged, as Adrian crawled next to them.

Adrian checked her pulse, and the worried crease between his eyebrows deepened. "She's not asleep, but she's in a painful state. She doesn't have a lot of time left before the drug kills her. We need to get the antidote as soon as possible. But that Tetsuya guy left, and only _he_ has the antidote strong enough to save her."

Fumiko's heart slowly began to stop, and her body was limp in his arms.

"Fumiko, please," Atsuki begged quietly as the gunfight continued. "You have to hold on…" _I love you_, he added mentally. Handing her over to Adrian's arms gently, he closed his eyes, trying to locate Tetsuya Jigarashi's Shinen. Finding it approaching towards the roof, he turned to Adrian. "Take care of her. I'm going after the antidote."

"What?" Adrian gasped, but Atsuki had already taken off back towards the elevator as the gunfight behind them was reaching its conclusion, Death Shinen showing up everywhere. "Atsuki, where are you going?"

xXx

When Atsuki reached the top floor, he quickly made to the staircase to reach the roof of the building, finding the dark-haired gang leader stand there as a helicopter approached. Tetsuya turned.

"Hmm… who are you?" he inquired. "Are you here for the antidote?"

Atsuki glared, having his tranquilizer pointed at him. "Give it to me."

He chuckled, "Very well. But even _if_ I willingly gave you the antidote, you wouldn't make it to save Agent Kasugazaki in time anyways. The Pentothal's _very_ strong, and so she has little less than a minute or two to live. You'll never make it in time."

"Dammit, just _give_ it to me," Atsuki demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Tetsuya chuckled, tossing the antidote from his pocket over to the young FORT agent. "Who _is_ Agent Kasugazaki to you? Is she… special to you, perhaps? Is she your lover?"

"My relationship to her is none of your concern," he replied, immediately turning to return down the stairs, heading back to save Fumiko. _Dammit Fumiko, _he added mentally, _you've got to live… you can't die._

_xXx_

Arriving at the lobby, the hostages were being escorted out, while police and CIA personnel were surveying the area. The paramedics were very gently laying Fumiko's limp body on the gurney, and Adrian stood next to her all along the way, his hand tightly in hers, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Adrian had removed her jacket and bulletproof vest, and stray tears trickled down his cheeks. Atsuki hurried over to them.

"Atsuki!" Adrian exclaimed through blurred eyes, "did you get it?"

He nodded, popping open the vial as he parted her lips with his fingers before pouring the liquid down her throat. Without warning, she coughed, choking slightly at the liquid before her head tilted limply to the side, her hand slipping from Adrian's grip.

"No… no!" Adrian shouted, grabbing Fumiko by the shoulders and shaking her. "Wake up, _wake up_! Fumiko! FUMIKO!"

"NO!" Atsuki cried, grabbing Fumiko's body. "Fumiko, please!"

Not before long, Fumiko blinked half-open her eyes. "Hey, oww, what's with all the commotion?" she murmured, staring deeply into Atsuki's black ones.

"Fumiko, you're alive!" Adrian gasped, tears of relief falling from his eyes before he wiped them away, sniffing.

"Yeah," she agreed matter-of-factly, "I'm alive. Obviously. Did we win? Are the hostages safe?"

They both nodded, and Atsuki hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you're alright, Fumiko."

"Atsuki was the one who brought you the antidote," Adrian informed as Atsuki laid her back down on the gurney. "If it wasn't for him, you'd be dead."

"But if it wasn't for her, _I_ would probably be dead," Atsuki argued. "I owe my life to her."

"Heh, thanks, Atsuki," Fumiko said, slowly sitting up, "but you're special to me, and it's my job."

Mika ran over to them, her face a terrified worried expression. "Fumiko! Agent Kasugazaki! Are you okay?" she demanded. "Atsuki, are you okay?"

Atsuki nodded. "I'm fine."

"I'll be better in a few days," Fumiko sighed, wincing in pain as the paramedics removed her blouse so they could analyze her arm wound. Dressed in her tank top, Fumiko winced when the paramedics dabbed at the bloody wound with a alcohol-soaked cotton ball when a familiar CIA doctor approached with his medical kit.

"Hey Kasugazaki, been a long time," he greeted casually, brushing back short blonde hair before disinfecting his hands, slipping on rubber gloves. "I'm glad you're still alive."

"Thanks, Takumi," she replied, "it's nice to see you too. You know this isn't a sterile environment for an operation."

He shrugged. "It's not as serious as a life-threatening injury, and I'm only bandaging it until we get to the hospital."

"Hospital, really?" she sighed, wincing again. "But I've still gotta get back to school."

Adrian sighed, shaking his head. "How could you think about school at a time like this? You nearly _died_!"

Ignoring him, she turned to her fellow classmates. "Mika, Atsuki, are you both alright?" she asked.

"We're fine, thanks to you," Mika said. "If it wasn't for you, myself and the others would have still been hostages."

She smiled, wincing as Takumi Francois wrapped white bandages around the wound.

"Sorry," he apologized, and she shook her head.

"Well… if you two are alright, Mika, as you know, I don't want anything heard about my being a CIA agent. Sooner or later the boss will make you sign the Official Secrets Act to keep this secret, but I trust you not to mention this… to _anyone_," Fumiko explained, and as Mika nodded understandingly, she turned to both her and Atsuki. "Now that I'm going to be okay, you both return to school and pretend nothing big went down. The situation that went down this morning will sooner or later end up on the news tonight, but myself, Adrian, Alex and Atsuki will be removed from the news."

Mika shook her head. "But we wanna come with you!" she argued.

"No," Fumiko retorted. "Go back to school. I'll be fine, and I'll come back to school after the operation."

"Are you sure?" Atsuki inquired. "Cause it's perfectly fine if we come with you to the hospital."

She nodded. "Really, it's fine. I'll be okay. I'll have guards probably posted at my door, and I'll have Adrian and Alex with me…" she trailed off, looking at Adrian, "Speaking of Alex, where is he?"

"Explaining things to the Director through a live video stream," he replied with a sigh. "He's kinda trying to pull the strings for you right now because you let a civilian join you on your mission."

"Oh, damn," Fumiko breathed, leaping off the gurney and stumbling a moment before Dr. Takumi Francois grabbed her by the waist.

"Oh no you don't, you're not going anywhere except for the hospital," he said firmly, pressing her against him, "you have to rest after what happened. Not to mention get this wound stitched up."

She pulled away, allowing herself to stand upright properly. "I will. First of all, I'm not going to let Alex take the fall for what I did," she declared.

"We'll come with you," Adrian sighed in a compromise, and the three co-workers began to leave the semi-destroyed lobby.

"Mika, stay here," Atsuki informed, and hurried off after the three CIA workers.

xXx

"Sir, Mr. Saijo was uninjured during the mission," Alex tried to explain. "I've just received word that Agent Kasugazaki is alright. Can she please be excused from this? It was completely _my_ idea to send her in."

Director Smith was very unimpressed. "I'm much ashamed of you, Agent Walker. Agent Kasugazaki may most definitely _not_ be excused from this. Both of you has broken at _least_ three rules, I demand that you both return to DC to-"

The doors behind Alex burst open, and Fumiko, Adrian and Atsuki ran in.

"Director!" Fumiko exclaimed breathlessly. "Don't blame Alex for this! It was completely my idea!"

"Agent Kasugazaki," The dark-haired 37-year-old Director acknowledged, and he glared at her. "What the _hell_ were you thinking? Taking a civilian with you?"

Fumiko winced at his anger before arguing back boldly. "I did my _job_, Director!" she snapped in retort, "I knew if I didn't allow him to accompany us he would have gone in himself somehow and gotten himself killed!"

"Know your place, Fumiko Kasugazaki!" He boomed, rising from his chair in his office.

"I'm no longer an agent! I retired two years ago!" she shouted back, fury rising in her eyes. "_You_ decided to call me back into the field! I had no choice in the matter! You _know_ I could have just taken down Damien and ran!" She bit her lip before she got too worked up, twisting her head away from the screen, biting back tears.

Director Smith was impressed with her anger, and slowly sat down with a sigh, looking at Atsuki. "Mr. Atsuki Saijo, correct?" he inquired.

"Yes, Sir," he replied.

"Are you injured at all?" Director Smith pried, and the teen shook his head, looking at Fumiko with grateful eyes.

"Miss Kasugazaki protected me the entire time, making sure that my safety came first," he explained. "She even took a poisoned dart for me."

"I heard she was shot with Pentothal," he agreed, looking back at Fumiko, "isn't that right, Agent Kasugazaki?"

She glared at him. "Yes, _Sir_," she spat.

"Very well, Agent Kasugazaki. Good work in the field today," the Director gratified, "you too, Agent Martin, Agent Walker. I'm glad to hear that you three are doing well, and you're welcome to return to America to resume your positions with us here at the CIA."

"I apologize, Director, but we're still retired," Alex reasoned calmly, "We only did what we did today because we were asked, _and_ because they threatened a part of our home."

He sighed, nodding seemingly sadly. "Very well, Mr. Walker, thank you for your assistance on this mission. Miss Kasugazaki, Mr. Martin, thank you both for risking your lives to save these hostages," he said. "And thank _you_, Mr. Saijo, for putting your own safety at risk to save your friends."

"Director Smith… may I speak to you alone?" Fumiko requested quietly, still refusing to look at him.

"Yes," he replied, and the others left the makeshift room.

"Director… I-I'm sorry..." Fumiko murmured as she looked at the screen, only to meet the kind smile of the man.

"Fumiko," he began softly in a gentle tone, "I'm sorry too. You know that I care strongly about you because you're the youngest agent ever. I know you left the CIA 2 years ago, so I'm sorry I dragged you back into all this. I promise I won't call again unless it's an emergency."

She nodded. "Okay, thanks. Tell my brother Drew I love him."

"I don't think it would mean the same if it came from me…" he replied hesitantly. "Just give him a call later when you have time. Don't be afraid to ask me for favours, because I really _do_ owe you a lot."

Not before long, the screen went black and Fumiko sighed, walking out, meeting her worried friends.

"So… how'd it go?" Adrian inquired, carefully resting a hand on her non-injured shoulder. "Are you okay? Did things go well with the Director?"

"I suppose," she sighed, half-lying, and Atsuki could see stress in her Shinen, as well as exhaustion.

Alex looked at her worriedly. "You must be exhausted," he said. "The Pentothal's effects must have tired you out."

"Miss Kasugazaki," Dr. Takumi addressed. "It's time for you to come with me to the hospital to get that wound treated before you pass out from blood loss, _or_ if the wound gets infected."

She sighed once more, releasing her hair from her bun. "Very well," she said, looking at Atsuki, "Atsuki, get Mika and take her back to school while I go get fixed up at the hospital. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"But you should probably rest," Adrian reasoned. "You were nearly killed today."

She held up two fingers, looking at him. " Two things: one; it's only the morning, I can't just go rest _yet_. Two; I wouldn't want to worry the others, especially Hibiki. And as for you, Atsuki, you don't want to worry Yayoi, right?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah," Atsuki stammered, looking away. "S-So… what were you and Hibiki speaking about this morning? You looked a little scared when he pinned you to the wall like that. I was a little worried too myself…"

"Well… the same thing as Yayoi spoke to you about," she answered. "He asked me out on a date. Like I know she asked you out too."

"Whoa," Adrian gasped quietly, and Mika chimed her agreement.

"So… you both have already moved on from each other that quickly?" Mika asked incredibly.

Quickly they both shook their heads.

"We're just going as friends!" they both protested in perfect unison. "And _they_ asked me out!"

When they realized their unison, they looked at each other and laughed, the others laughing with them.

"Come on, let's get going," Takumi urged, taking Fumiko by the hand and tugging her towards the ambulance. "You're going to bleed to death if you keep on it any longer."

She glared. "Funny, a little over-the-top, don't you think?" she teased, turning back to look at Adrian and Alex. "I'll see you guys later after school or something. Atsuki, Mika, I'll see you both at school."

As the both of them disappeared into the ambulance and it drove off, Atsuki and Mika looked at each other.

"I suppose we should be getting back," Atsuki told her quietly.

"You _should_ just make it in time before your first period ends," Alex said. "Are you sure you're both well enough to return to school? I'm sure you both must be in a bit of trauma."

Mika nodded slowly. "I-I think so," she replied. "But I'll never be able to look at Fumiko the same way again. Who knew she would be a CIA agent?"

"Actually, the only other ones in Kisaragi High that know who she really is other than me are you and Shinji," Atsuki told her. "Shinji dug into her background and found her CIA file one time, so he recognized her from the first time they both met in the computer lab."

Her eyes widened. "So no one else knows about it other than us? _And_ the CIA?" she demanded. "How did she manage to keep it from us the whole time?"

"She's been trained to become a very skilled liar," Adrian replied. "Only those that are close to her can really tell when she's lying, like her brother Drew."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Adrian, Fumiko and I have trained with the CIA before she quit two years ago," he informed her. "Then Adrian and myself decided to retire to come to Kisaragi. We're like the best of friends, practically brothers. We were both surprised and excited to find that Fumiko was currently residing in Kisaragi as well."

"Come on, Saijo, you should change back into your uniform before you head back to Kisaragi," Adrian said. "Alex and I can drop the both of you off before we head back to the bakery to rest up. This morning has taken a lot outta us too, _plus_ we've got to continue running the shop."

Alex sighed, scratching his head. "Aw man… and I have that birthday cake order," he groaned in annoyance before his mood instantly changed, looking at Adrian. "Oh yeah, did you ever tell Fumiko that Ayumi was going to be coming in a few days as well to work with us at the bakery?"

"Oh… I completely forgot," Adrian said with a scowl as he glared at his partner, "we were all trying _not_ to die."

"Ah, well… I guess we'll let her know later," Alex sighed in decision. "In the meantime, I guess we'll keep it a surprise for her. But anyway, get your stuff, Saijo, and we'll get you two back at the school in no time."

Atsuki nodded, removing the Kevlar vest and police belt, handing it to a man in black who came by with his things. "Thanks," he thanked the man, putting back on his jacket and bag. Both Mika and Atsuki now looked like regular high school students that weren't involved in anything.

"Hmmm… so we just go back to school and act like nothing's happened?" Mika inquired. "Do you think it'll be so easy to just go through school without worrying?"

"Well… this is unbelievably painful," Adrian agreed. "I'm sure Fumiko is just as annoyed. At least she should be glad that he only shot her through the arm. He must still want her alive to try and recruit her later."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "That would explain his plan of quick escape," he agreed. "Now that I think about it, how _did_ you get the antidote from him, Saijo?"

Atsuki explained what had occurred on the rooftop, not including the question of what Fumiko meant to him, and both Alex and Adrian blinked.

"You could have been killed!" they both shouted at him in union.

"Ugh… teens these days," Alex groaned.

Mika smiled. "Well… just think on the bright side; if Atsuki hadn't have gone after that guy, Fumiko wouldn't be alive," she told them optimistically.

"Yeah, she's right," Adrian agreed. "But still… we should all probably keep a closer eye on Fumiko for the time being, at least until Tetsuya is caught. Of course, don't tell her about it, but just keep watch. But she can take care of herself if she should get into some sort of situation. As long as she has her gun and badge, she's pretty much free to enter anywhere, not to mention get assistance from the police."

Alex sighed again, "So much for retirement. Ah well… still a little young to retire, I suppose."

"Uh huh…" Atsuki sighed. "Hey guys, I need some advice; Do you think Fumiko's mad at me?"

"Why would she be mad at you?" Mika inquired. "Didn't you guys make up after your fight and decided to remain as friends?"

He shook his head, sighing heavily. "We've never made up yet," he told her, sighing again. "I just don't know… I still care about her."

"But do you love her?" Alex inquired. "Are you still in love with her, Saijo?"

He shrugged, sighing with a lie, "I don't know. Maybe."

"Awww… that's sweet," Mika sighed. "You should tell her. Maybe she's still in love with you too."

"Who knows?" he sighed. "I don't want to ruin anything between us; friendship, love, whatever. Enough of that now, let's get back to school. Fumiko will come back later."

* * *

**Well... Fumiko's okay, thanks to Atsuki. :D Well... Fumiko got into a little problem with her director, but well... you can't blame her. **

**I wonder what's going to happen the next chapter?**

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	8. Recovery

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Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Recovery

Sighing, Fumiko walked into the quad. She was exhausted from the effects of the Pentothal and she gently laid a hand on her forehead, shaking off the weariness. She knew even if she _tried_ to fall asleep, her dreams would be haunted by terrifying memories and nightmares. Looking up to the building, she could see the windows of her classroom, and saw Mika sitting there by the window. Fumiko's sight swirled for a moment.

"Ugh," Fumiko moaned, her knees breaking under her before she collapsed onto her side, her chest heaving gently before she forced herself back up, wincing at the wound on her arm. Dr. Takumi Francois had operated on the wound and stitched it up nicely, and had bandages wrapped around it snugly.

Continuing towards her classroom, she sighed, leaning against the wall for support. She had only made it just in time for the beginning of Mr. Higarashi's class, and already she was exhausted.

_I really don't understand how I'm going to make it through the rest of this day,_ she thought miserably, _more or less go on a date with Hibiki tomorrow._

Taking a deep breath, she opened her classroom door and stepped inside, all eyes turning to her.

"OH MY GOSH!" Mika exclaimed immediately, running to tackle Fumiko into a huge embrace. "Are you alright?"

"O-Ow…" Fumiko murmured quietly, as she was hurting her arm.

"Mika, calm down," Rui told her before looking at Fumiko. "Both she and Saijo have been agitated since they got here."

Ryo looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay, Kasugazaki?" he inquired.

She nodded.

"Do you have an excuse to explain your absence so far today?" Mr. Higarashi demanded.

Fumiko blinked. She forgot to think about that. "Um… I was feeling really sick this morning, and it turns out it was because it was just something I ate for dinner last night," she lied fluently and believably. "But I'm mostly fine now."

"Are you sure?" Yayoi asked worriedly.

She nodded, taking her seat next to Atsuki, who gazed at her with deep concern. His worried Shinen didn't waver for a moment throughout the entire class, and Fumiko knew he was worried about her, as was Hibiki.

xXx

After class, Fumiko packed up her books, as did the rest of the class, and Hibiki walked over to her beside her. "Would you like to go to get something to eat at Sweet Ring with me? My treat," he offered.

She offered him a smile, and nodded. "Sure," she replied, standing up and wavering before he caught her against him, keeping the both of them upright.

"Are you okay, Kasugazaki?" he inquired.

Fumiko nodded slowly and uncertainly. "C-Call me 'Fumiko'," she told him. "We've known each other for nearly an entire week, right?"

"Then call me 'Hibiki'," he replied, "and we'll call it even."

Chuckling, she nodded, pulling back from him as he turned to the jealous Atsuki.

"Hey Atsuki, you wanna come with me and Fumiko to Sweet Ring? My treat," Kiryu offered.

He shook his head with a forced smile. "Sorry, can't," he told them, looking at the hopeful Yayoi. "I'll catch you guys later. Bye."

With that said, Fumiko and Hibiki left the classroom, Hibiki's hand on Fumiko's opposite shoulder, keeping her close against him. He seemed to have a general sense of what was going on, as he had read Mika's mind during class.

"So… Atsuki," Yayoi stammered nervously. "W-Where do you want to go tomorrow?"

He looked at her. "It doesn't matter. Where do _you_ want to go? I'm fine with anywhere," he replied. "It's really your choice where you want to go."

"Hmm… okay, I guess we'll decide tomorrow. I'll meet you at Triple Step, 'kay?" she determined.

Atsuki nodded in return, and she bid him farewell before skipping off. Sighing heavily, he looked out through the window below, where he saw Hibiki and Fumiko walking together, and felt a pang of jealousy. What was he going to do now?

xXx

"So are you going to tell me what _really_ happened, CIA Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki?" Hibiki Kiryu whispered into Fumiko's ear as they sat next to each other in Sweet Ring. Then he chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

She swallowed. "Um… but don't you have everything you _need_ to know from Mika's head?" she inquired.

"Not the full story," he replied.

Sighing, Fumiko told Hibiki the entire story of how she, Atsuki and her partner had infiltrated the AMS Bank building, how she had been poisoned with Pentothal, how it turned out that the bad guys wanted her and she got shot, as well as what happened when she woke up after Atsuki had gotten her the antidote. Kiryu listened intently, stopping her every so times to ask her a question.

"Then… I went to the hospital to get stitched and bandaged up, and went back to school directly afterwards," she concluded.

He nodded, allowing his fingers to run over her arm, and she winced gently.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's alright," she assured, and he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Abruptly, Fumiko pulled away in shock, and he looked apologetic.

"S-Sorry," he apologized.

She shook her head. "I-It's alright," she replied hesitantly. "I-I was just… I-I just… didn't expect it, that's all." The she faked a yawn. "I'm sorry, Hibiki, but I think I should get some sleep."

"It's alright," he replied with a chuckle, his hand gently caressing her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll give you a call tomorrow. Is it okay if I call you at 10?"

"Of course," she responded, standing up. "I'll probably be awake by then."

As she reached into her schoolbag to take out her wallet, Kiryu rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he assured her. "I told you it was my treat."

"Ah, thanks, Hibiki," she thanked gratefully. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Waving, she left Sweet Ring and returned to Liu Yee's apartment.

xXx

That night, Fumiko's dreams were haunted, and she woke up every second hour, and things were just _not_ going well for her. 6 sleepless nights were already taking it out of her. Just _how_ many more days last before she would break?

* * *

**Yay! I hope you guys like this chapter (even though it's a really short chapter). **

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	9. Day 7: Incident

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**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

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Chapter Nine: Day 7: Incident

Fumiko sighed, scratching at her head, messing up her hair. "Well… this is depressing," she muttered to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, "no decent night's sleep… _again_." She sighed once more, "The faster Yayoi confesses, the better."

After cleaning herself up and tying her hair up into a high ponytail, she was dressed in a light blue tank top with a white low-V-cut shirt that reached the middle of her forearms, as well as a dark blue open collared vest over it, as well as jeans. She took her medium-sized shoulder bag, with a few essentials packed inside if she ran into trouble. Satisfied at how she looked, she went out to the kitchen to find Liu Yee sitting at the table, reading through a file folder.

"Morning, Liu," she greeted.

"Ah, good morning, Fumiko," he replied easily. "I'll be going out soon to do a survey of the city. Do you have any plans today?"

She nodded. "Got a date with Hibiki Kiryu," she told him, and his mouth twitched into the faintest hint of a frown.

"Hmm, _that_ damn punk," he muttered, which earned him a chuckle from Fumiko.

"Now, now, Liu," she chided, "I thought you both had gotten on good terms already."

The FORT Sweeper shrugged easily. "Doesn't matter," he replied. "When are you planning on heading out?"

"Dunno," she sighed, "when he calls me at 10, I suppose."

"Technically in the next 5 minutes," he replied.

"Yeah," she agreed.

He put down the file and looked at her. "Have you been sleeping well, Fumiko?" he inquired.

She shook her head in admittance. "Not a decent night's sleep since day one of being here. The _only_ _good_ sleep I've had since I've been here is the two naps that I took after some strange force tried to invade my mind," she explained. "Not a fun thing, you know."

"This seems to be becoming a problem," he told her.

She shrugged. "I suppose," she half-heartedly agreed. "But there's nothing I can do about it. This entire thing with Yayoi and Atsuki is driving me insane. I can't _force_ her to confess to him, nor can I _force_ him to respond. I have no other choice than to let these things unfold for the better, even if it seems that it's detrimental to my health."

Liu Yee sighed, "But still, Fumiko. This is very unhealthy. You're going to get sick soon if something isn't done about this."

Even though she knew that he was right about that, she forced a smile. "Don't worry," she reassured, "I'll be alright."

"Hmm…" he hummed, his eyes narrowed at her, analyzing her.

Even though she knew he couldn't read her Shinen with Σ, she kept a barrier around her mind just in case and kept smiling at him.

"Very well…" he said finally in temporary defeat. "But if you get sick, I told you so."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay," she agreed. "But just don't rub it in."

He shrugged. "Maybe," he stated and she slightly glared at him before her cell phone rang, and she picked up.

"Good morning, Hibiki," she greeted.

"Good morning, Fumiko," he replied, "are you ready for our date?"

Fumiko smiled. "Yes," she answered. "Where should I meet you?"

"Hmmm… how about I meet you in front of Tohodo?" Hibiki suggested. "Or do you want me to meet you closer to where you are? What area are you living in right now?"

"Area 1," she replied.

"Then why don't I meet you at Chitose Pond?" he said. "Right now I'm outside AMS Bank where it seems they have a CIA cleanup and investigation crew here. Atsuki's here too, so I suspect that FORT is also doing some investigation. But none of us are allowed in."

Fumiko's eyes scrunched as in confusion. "Really?" she said in surprise. "Hmm… I'll meet you at AMS Bank then instead. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay," he responded. "I'll see you then."

As they both hung up, Liu Yee sighed, "I take it you're off then?" he guessed.

"Yep," she responded, heading towards the door. "I'll see you later, Liu."

"Have fun," he told her as she left, closing the door behind her. Sighing, he shook his head. _Teenagers…_ he thought.

xXx

"Hey!" Fumiko called as she saw Atsuki and Hibiki talking. "Good morning you two!"

They looked over at her and waved back as she approached them.

"Good morning, Fumiko," they both greeted simultaneously.

Fumiko looked at Atsuki. "You're here to investigate, I suppose?" she guessed with a sigh. "But I thought you had a date with Yayoi."

"And _I_ thought that you had a date with Hibiki," he replied hotly.

Hibiki smiled, his arm hugging around her. "Well… not what you'd expect to start a date, right?" he guessed.

"Yeah," she replied, pulling away and looking at the both of them. "Now… since we _all_ have the power of Σ, even a little bit, I suppose it's time we go in to take a look at the Residual Death Shinen to find out what we can."

"CIA credentials?" Hibiki guessed, and she nodded.

"Come with me," she told them, and they followed her to a CIA van next to a police tape line, where a man in black looked at her.

"I'm sorry, but only authorized personnel may cross this line," he announced.

Fumiko pulled out her CIA badge and flashed it to him. "Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki," she declared before looking back at Atsuki and Hibiki while returning her badge to her pocket, "and these two are my assistants; Atsuki Saijo and Hibiki Kiryu. We're here to take a look at what happened."

"Ah," he replied. "Good work yesterday, ma'am. Please proceed."

Giving him a nod, she, Hibiki and Atsuki slipped under the tape and entered "the scene of the crime".

"So…" Fumiko sighed, "let's get inside to the main lobby area and see what info we can find."

As they entered the semi-ruined lobby, the man Atsuki saw with Fumiko yesterday at the school gates approached them, dipping his head in respect to Fumiko.

"Agent Kasugazaki," he addressed formally.

"Damien," she replied with ease, "how many members of that gang escape yesterday?"

He sighed, "Our team managed to take out 2 dozen or so."

Fumiko nodded slowly. "And Agent Martin and I took about another 2 and a half dozen ourselves getting here. So it's safe to say about a fifth of them managed to escape. Probably the ones that were scattered around the building."

"Agent Martin and Walker have submitted in their case report," he informed her. "I have to say I truly admire you being able to withstand Pentothal for so long, _especially_ one of _that_ strength, judging by Dr. Takumi Francois' report."

"Thanks," she replied in a sigh, glancing at Atsuki. "Though I've gotta say, I'm grateful to Atsuki for going to get the antidote for me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be standing in front of you right now."

Damien bowed at the waist to Atsuki. "The CIA thanks you for your assistance, Mr. Saijo. It would have brought great grief to our agency if we had lost one of our most youngest but best agent."

"You flatter me, Damien," Fumiko responded. "Now… if you don't mind, Damien, while we investigate here, I would like a file on the profiles of the deceased, as well as all the information on the gang that you can gather. I expect it before I leave here."

"Yes ma'am!" he replied before heading off towards one of the vans.

Hibiki smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're one tough agent," he noted. "He seemed a little panicky as he left."

Fumiko shrugged. "Yeah, I could tell by his Shinen too," she agreed. "Well… 'survival of the fittest', I guess. You have to be tough in order to get through far in the agency. Plus… being me –the youngest in the agency, you tend to get teased a lot sometimes from some particular agents. Meh, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

Both Hibiki and Atsuki chuckled.

_That's the Fumiko I know all right,_ Atsuki thought.

"Now that that's that, let's get started," she announced, activating her Lux-pain, Atsuki following her lead as Hibiki focused on his Σ powers.

_Orders… capture… hostages… Fumiko Kasugazaki… boss… wants her… power…. CIA agent… _

Most of the other Residual Shinen were similar, and Fumiko sighed, deactivating her Lux-pain.

"Well… that's immensely unhelpful," she commented crudely.

"That guy will still be after you, Fumiko," Atsuki warned, "you've got to be careful."

"I know," she sighed, readjusting her shoulder bag. "I'll be very careful."

Hearing a stifle of sound, she turned around, swiftly pulling out her gun from her jeans and pointing it at the possible threat… which turned out to just be Damien with a closed brown envelope, his hands raised.

Realizing who it was, Fumiko lowered her gun with a sigh, "Sorry, Damien, I'm a little jumpy right now." Hiding the gun once more, Hibiki rested his hands on her shoulders, beginning to massage her tense muscles.

"Calm down," he eased, helping her relax as she sighed while relaxing her shoulders.

"S-Sorry for startling you, Agent Kasugazaki," Damien apologized, "but I have the file for you. Everything you need is enclosed inside this envelope. I also have a USB included in case you want to see the digital version, as well as a few more reference files if you want it."

"Thanks," Fumiko replied, taking the file from him. "I really appreciate it. We'll be taking our leave now, Damien. Thank you for your assistance. Please clean up this scene and get me a report on all the evidence and such as soon as you can. We need to find out what kind of firepower they have and how they may use it against us. I don't want to get anyone else involved if they decide to attack me at anytime."

"Yes ma'am," he responded automatically as she stuffed the file into her huge purse before giving a nod at Atsuki and Hibiki before they walked off out of the sealed-off area.

"So… I suppose our path splits here," Hibiki announced with a sigh as they all arrived at a four-way crossroad. "You're off to pick up Yayoi, right?"

Atsuki nodded, his own Shinen twisting into slight pain as he watched Hibiki wrap an arm around Fumiko's shoulders.

"Well… we'll see you later, Atsuki," Fumiko bid, a little sadness and pain in her voice, and Atsuki knew she was still sad because of him.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll run into each other on our dates," Kiryu said. "We'll be over near Sweet Ring."

Atsuki shrugged. "Maybe we might," he replied. "You never know _what's_ going to happen in Kisaragi City."

Hibiki turned Fumiko, heading off.

"Bye, Atsuki," Fumiko bid, Hibiki chiming his farewell.

As Atsuki headed off to meet Yayoi at Triple Step, Fumiko and Hibiki headed off to Sweet Ring for a sweet low-fat treat. But would things go smoothly like the date Hibiki Kiryu had planned?

* * *

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	10. Fight or Flight

**Well... here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it!**

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**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Fight or Flight

"So… aren't you excited for the Winter Formal? It sounds exciting," Fumiko inquired as she and Hibiki walked slowly to Sweet Ring through the nearly-empty streets.

"I'm excited about it," he responded. "But I'm still wondering who to go with." He grinned at her. "Are _you_ free?"

She shrugged, sighing. "I don't know. Probably, yeah," she replied. "Why?"

"Would you like to go with me?" he inquired, his eyes shining with hopefulness.

Fumiko smiled. "Sure," she answered softly. "Sounds like fun."

"Hmmm…" Hibiki murmured, his hand firmly on Fumiko's opposite shoulder, "is it just me, or does something not feel right?"

She stopped, her eyes narrowing as she glanced to the side. "Yeah, I can sense it too." Suddenly, she tensed. "It's coming this way!" she exclaimed, turning around… but it was too late.

The man tackled Hibiki into an alleyway, pinning him against a wall. More followed from behind him, and all of their eyes were practically bloodshot.

"You're a telepath!" the man exclaimed, and his breath smelled like whiskey and wine. His hand tightened around Hibiki's throat, and he choked as he tried to breathe. White stars began to appear in his vision as he could feel himself begin to black out.

"Let go of him!" Fumiko shouted, pushing the other men out of the way before kicking the other man in the back of the knees, causing him to fall down and loosen his grip before Fumiko yanked Hibiki away from him, pulling him behind her. "Pick on someone your _own_ size!"

Another man grabbed at her, and she used a series of punches and kicks before one of the men grabbed a knife and waved it wildly. He scratched her deeply in the side, and she was thrown back against the wall.

"Fumiko, look out!" Hibiki shouted, leaping to jump on the man's back, pulling on his neck.

In her annoyance and pain, she pushed the man back and ordered Hibiki to get off before she was thrown to the ground. Kicking out at the man's legs as Hibiki released him, Fumiko reached for her purse but it was kicked from her reach…

xXx

Atsuki had sensed the disturbance near Sweet Ring, and his cell phone had rung. He and Yayoi were having lunch at Triple Step at the time before he had sensed the powerful Shinen.

"Atsuki! Fumiko's in danger!" Nola shouted into his ear. "You've got to go help her! A group of murderous and dark Shinen is approaching her!"

"Where exactly?" Atsuki demanded, keeping the worry and urgency out of his voice.

"Area 3, by Sweet Ring," she replied automatically. "Hurry!"

Hanging up, Yayoi looked at him worriedly. "Atsuki, is something wrong?" she inquired.

"Sorry Yayoi," he said, standing up abruptly. "I've got to go. I'll be as quick as I can, so keep eating. I'll be back in about 10-15 minutes."

Without waiting for a response, he hurried out of Triple Step and ran towards Area 3. Hopefully he wasn't too late.

xXx

"Fumiko!" Hibiki shouted before he was thrown against the wall and Fumiko fought against them.

Fumiko pushed the man back into the wall before another man suddenly stabbed her once in the lower back, causing her to cry out briefly in pain before she lashed back with vicious kicks and taking him out. Eventually, she pushed them all back before properly taking them down, leaving 4 of the 5 men groaning in pain while Fumiko sat on their leader, pinning his hands behind his back. Blood spilled from her wounds, and Fumiko reached for her purse, where she dug out her handcuffs and cuffed him.

Fumiko took several moments to activate her Lux-Pain and her Σ powers, taking moments to erase the Silent from their minds, right before Hibiki kneeled down next to Fumiko.

"Fumiko, are you okay?" he demanded. "I've called the cops, they'll be here momentarily."

"Y-Yeah…" Fumiko murmured, wincing at the painfully deep wounds.

He looked at her. "Fumiko," he said gently, "you're hurt."

Wincing in pain, she nodded. "Are _you_ okay?" she inquired, her voice a little raspy.

"Thanks to you I am," Hibiki responded, helping her up. "You saved my life." He began to lean towards her…

… right as Atsuki arrived across the street from the scene, Hibiki kissed Fumiko, wrapping his arms around her, taking her first kiss as his own.

_W-What?_ Atsuki thought. _N-No… F-Fumiko… and… Hibiki?_

Scrunching her eyes tight, Fumiko pushed her hands against his shoulders, pulling away, right as Atsuki turned away, pain twisting his heart.

"Hibiki," Fumiko began, but he silenced her by placing two fingers on her lips.

"Fumiko," he said quietly, "I'm in love with you."

Gently taking his hand off her lips, she told him, "Hibiki, I'm flattered, but I'm sorry that I don't feel the same way."

Softly, Hibiki smiled in understanding. "I know, but I just want you to know how I feel," he replied. "Let me guess, you're still in love with Atsuki?"

"Yes," she responded. "I like you, Hibiki, but not in that way."

"I kinda figured," he admitted. "By the way, was that your first kiss? You're blushing a little."

Fumiko nodded, biting her lip. "I never imagined it would be like what it was," she explained to him. "H-How about you? Have you kissed any other girl other than me before?"

He shook his head. "You're _my_ first kiss as well," he replied. "I'm glad we got to share it together. Though I believe you'd rather have it with Atsuki instead, correct?"

Blushing a little deeper, she nodded, twisting her head away, making sure that her eyes averted his. Hibiki chuckled.

"You're adorable when you're shy like that, you know?" he teased, and suddenly, she collapsed against him.

"Fumiko, Fumiko!" Hibiki exclaimed, trying to hold her up.

Suddenly, he heard sirens, and soon flashing red and blue lights could be seen before the police arrived, as well as ambulances. Immediately, Hibiki swept Fumiko up into his arms and hurried over towards the ambulance. Blood soaked the side and back of her clean clothes.

"Please, help!" he exclaimed as the police and paramedics hopped out of the police cars and ambulance, the police armed. Among them was Aya, and she had recognized Fumiko.

"What happened?" Aya demanded. "Is Fumiko alright?"

"She's been injured," Hibiki said urgently. "Please, we need to have her taken to the hospital to get stitched up. Didn't she already get hurt enough yesterday after the AMS Bank incident?"

Aya's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?" she gasped.

The cyan-haired student shook his head. "Forget about it, I'll explain later. Right now I need her taken to the hospital," he replied. "Fumiko's gone through enough pain already."

xXx

About a couple of hours later, Fumiko's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring at a white ceiling, a repetitive beeping noise the only other sound in the room aside from the sound of running machinery. Twisting her head, she saw Hibiki sitting in a chair by her side, and she suddenly realized that she was in a hospital bed.

"Hibiki?" Fumiko whispered tiredly, and he smiled at her.

"Thank goodness you're awake," he commented with a sigh.

She slowly blinked her eyes. "How long have I been out?" she inquired quietly.

"About two hours now," he replied. "The wounds was quite deep, according to doctors. Nothing important was damaged, and the knife wound to your back missed your spine, so you were lucky. But both your wounds have been stitched up nicely and you should be able to be released from the hospital in a couple of days."

Abruptly, she sat up, and she winced in pain. Hibiki gently eased her back down onto the bed.

"Rest, Fumiko," he said. "You're still injured."

"I can't allow myself to be done in by something like _this_," she argued. "I've been in worse situations."

Hibiki shook his head. "You still need to rest," he told her. "It must be hard for you to sleep at night."

"To tell you the truth, Hibiki," she began unsurely, "I haven't been able to sleep decently since I've arrived in Kisaragi."

Very gently, Hibiki brushed her bangs away from her forehead. "All the more reason why you need to rest," he told her. "You _need_ your rest. And you more than deserve it too."

"Thanks," she sighed, "but I highly doubt I'll be able to get any rest."

"Do you want me to leave so you can get some more rest?" Hibiki inquired politely.

She shook her head. "Can you do me a favour and call Atsuki? I need to speak with him," she responded.

"Alright," he sighed in reply, leaning back and taking out his cell phone. Dialling Atsuki's number, soon enough, the student picked up.

"Hey Atsuki, it's Hibiki," he said.

"Hey Hibiki, what's up?" Atsuki replied, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

He sighed, scratching his hair. "Fumiko's been injured but don't worry, she's alright. Right now we're in the hospital. Fumiko's awake, and she told me she wants to speak with you. Are you still with Yayoi?"

"Yeah," Atsuki replied. "We're over at the Production Art studio with Mr. Mays. Is she alright? Do you want us to go over right now?"

"Yeah, I think she'd like that," Hibiki replied. "We'll see you guys soon."

xXx

"What did Hibiki want?" Yayoi inquired.

"Fumiko and Atsuki were attacked," Atsuki explained with a worried sigh. "Fumiko was injured. She's in the hospital, Hibiki's with her now."

"Oh my," she gasped.

"Is Kasugazaki alright?" Arthur inquired.

"I don't know," Atsuki admitted. "But Hibiki said that she was awake. I told her I'd be over to the hospital as soon as possible."

"We'll come too," Yayoi said. "I'll call the others to meet us there. They'll probably want to go too."

The silver-haired teen nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

**Awww... poor Fumiko. Poor Atsuki. **

**Hopefully things get better, huh? **

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	11. Slow Recoveries

**Well... not much to say, I suppose. lolz.**

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**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Slow Recoveries

"Well… this is certainly unpleasant," Fumiko commented. "I'm lying here in bed when I _should_ be out making sure things are alright in Kisaragi."

Hibiki shook his head. "You can really be stubborn sometimes, Fumiko," he retorted with a sigh. "Don't worry, Atsuki and Liu Yee will make up for it, right?"

"Even so," she sighed. "It feels weird taking a break like this. Especially after working for FORT for so long."

He pat her on the head. "You need to take a vacation more often, Fumiko," he teased. "All that working must be getting to your head. And how can you deal with the homework as well?"

"I'm used to going undercover, so I'm used to going to many different schools in many different languages and so I've gotten a _whole_ lot of math, science and language knowledge, so the homework is no problem. The only problem is usually tracking down people infected with Silent."

All of a sudden, a white-hot pain shot through her mind, crashing into the barrier of her mind and she let out a sharp cry, her heart-rate spiking dramatically as she slumped back down into the bed, her heart rate not slowing as she lashed out, pain spiking through her entire body. Without warning, her heart gave out, and the line went flat.

"Fumiko!" Hibiki gasped, grabbing her by the shoulders as nurses ran in. "Fumiko!"

A nurse pulled him away as her colleagues tried to subdue Fumiko. "Please sir, I need you to leave." She advised as she pushed him out, a doctor running in with a nurse behind him with a defibrillator just in case, the door closing behind them as the nurse that had pulled Hibiki out closed the blinds as to restrict his vision into the room as they tried to return Fumiko to her former state.

Hibiki's fists clenched as he felt so helpless. He wanted so badly to help the young woman he loved, but the problem was that he had no idea what was ailing her.

Suddenly, there was hurried footsteps, and Hibiki turned to see Atsuki, Yayoi and Arthur run towards him. Yayoi held three distinct bouquets of flowers, one name card attached to each bouquet.

"Hibiki!" Yayoi panted. "How's Fumiko?"

"I don't know," he said sadly, his hands still on the door. "They locked me out. Fumiko's heart rate jumped, and the nurses came in. Then her heart stopped beating."

"What?" Arthur gasped, "Will she be alright?"

Hibiki shrugged. "I don't know," he replied honestly.

Atsuki felt a pulsing within his bracelet that Fumiko had given him, and he focused on it, sensing the overwhelming pain that was hurting her. The mind that had tried to hurt her before was trying again. And now in her time of weakness… the invading mind was going to kill her.

_Not on my watch_, Atsuki thought, activating his Lux-Pain and sending her his strength. He could see in his mind's eye that Fumiko was weakening gradually, and though it appeared that the nurses had recovered her pulse, if nothing was done to help strengthen her mind, it wasn't going to be long before her heart went out again… and there wasn't much chance that it would start up again.

"Is there anything we can do to help her?" Yayoi inquired.

_Come on, Fumiko,_ the FORT agent thought, _you've got to hold on. You can't give up yet. You're still needed by a lot of people, including me. I love you._

Sending her strength, he sensed the disturbance retreating, and Atsuki pulled back as he noticed that Fumiko's Shinen was returning back a little more normal.

The door opened, and the nurses and doctor exited.

"Doctor, is she alright?" Hibiki inquired in concern.

He blinked before looking at him. "Ah, yes," he responded tiredly. "Miss Kasugazaki's condition has stabilized. Do you wish to see her?'

"May we?" Mr. Mays inquired.

The blonde doctor nodded. "Just don't be long," he said. "She needs her rest. A nurse is inside watching her, and she'll be there to take care of her until she recovers a little more."

The four of them nodded in understanding, then proceeded to quietly enter the room, where Fumiko lay unconscious on the bed, her hands by her side, her beautiful azure eyes closed. The sound of the heart rate machine was the only sound in the room.

"Fumiko," Atsuki whispered gently, placing a hand over hers.

"Oh, Fumiko," Hibiki sighed, brushing away some of her bangs.

"Will Kasugazaki be okay?" Yayoi inquired worriedly.

The brunette nurse nodded. "She will with time," she said.

"She just needs time to recover," Hibiki guessed, "It'll take her a few days before she can be released from the hospital. But with her heart stopping and whatnot just now, I think it will take a little longer."

Very weakly, Fumiko's eyes barely fluttered open, and her head tilted to look at her friends. "Hibiki?... Atsuki?..." she whispered, "Yayoi?... Mr. Mays?..."

"Fumiko, you're awake," Atsuki breathed in relief.

Hibiki gently brushed some bangs away from her face. "How are you feeling?" he inquired.

"Not well," she admitted. "I feel… so weak… so… tired…"

"You should get lots of rest, Kasugazaki," Yayoi advised, offering her the flowers. "These are from Atsuki, Arthur and me."

Fumiko smiled softly. "Thanks… all of you…" she said, her eyes close to closing.

"I'll take these and put them in a vase," the nurse stated, taking the flowers from Yayoi and leaving the room. "I'll be right back."

"Kasugazaki, are you sure you're alright?" Arthur inquired, "you're frighteningly pale."

"I just… need some rest…" she breathed in reply, "that's all…"

Atsuki felt guilt tugging at his heart as he felt somewhat responsible for not taking good care of her like he had promised himself.

_Oh damn…_ he thought in realization, _Liu Yee's going to kill me when he finds out that Fumiko's in the hospital. And I'm going to be in huge trouble with the Chief, as well as Nola and Natsuki. This won't be an easy story to tell to them._

Hibiki very gently pat her on the head, and she smiled. "We were all really worried about you for a moment there," he chided softly. "Don't scare us like that again, 'kay?"

"Got it," she replied, closing her eyes completely. "Good night…"

They replied with soft 'good nights' as the girl drifted into a healing sleep.

_Fumiko's been through a lot these past few days,_ Hibiki thought.

Atsuki was thinking the same thing. _First the incident at AMS bank when she was poisoned by Pentothal, and now she's been attacked and nearly _died_ because of this stupid force which _still_ can't be found._

"We should go now," Arthur advised softly, "we should let her get her rest."

The three students nodded, and they quietly left the room as the nurse returned, the three bouquets of flowers placed in a vase.

"So I suppose we should tell the teachers tomorrow that Fumiko won't be attending for the next few days," Hibiki suggested. "But I suppose we could do that tomorrow."

Yayoi looked at him. "Hibiki, can you tell us what happened?" she asked. "We only heard briefly from Atsuki that you both were attacked."

The cyan-haired teen nodded. "But can we sit down somewhere first?" he requested. "I think my knees are going to snap from my constant worry."

"Then let's go," Mr. Mays said, and they left the hospital, heading over to Sweet Ring as a treat from him.

xXx

"Hey guys," Akira greeted as he saw his friends and teacher enter the café. "Grab a seat anywhere." Blinking questionably, he noticed that all of their faces were quite pale, and decided to question them on it. "Um… is something wrong?"

Yayoi sighed depressingly. "We just came from the hospital," she informed.

"Oh my gosh, what's wrong? What happened?" Akira demanded.

"Fumiko saved my life," Hibiki informed. "we were attacked by some drunks, and she defended me from them. She herself was injured in the fight, so I took her to the hospital."

"Will she be alright?" he asked in concern.

Atsuki sighed, "We're not sure. When Mr. Mays, Yayoi and myself arrived, Fumiko was having a heart attack. They managed to save her, but she's weak. It'll take a few days before she's coming close to coming back to school."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" Akira demanded, a little hurt. "I would have met with all of you guys at the hospital."

Arthur looked at him. "Kiryu called Saijo while he and Yayoi were visiting me at my art studio. That's when we went to the hospital as soon as we could, after picking up some flowers for Kasugazaki. But we were unaware that when we arrived, Kasugazaki was on the brink between life and death."

"Hold on, I'll bring some tea and cakes for you guys. I'm sure there's a huge story that needs to be told and explained," Akira interrupted, hurrying off to the kitchen.

xXx

"This is going to be a hard few weeks for her," Atsuki sighed after at least an hour of discussion.

They all nodded in agreement.

"She's been through a lot since she's arrived in Kisaragi," Hibiki agreed verbally.

"Hopefully she'll be recovered enough to make the Winter Formal in two weeks time," Yayoi said, her eyes filled with concern and worry. "It would be terrible if she missed it."

Akira smiled. "She's a strong girl," he said. "She'll be _fine_."

_Please… let that stay true,_ both Atsuki and Hibiki thought.

Suddenly, Hibiki's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Mr. Kiryu, this is Dr. Curefind, Miss Fumiko Kasugazaki's doctor?" the doctor greeted on the other end.

"Oh, hello Dr. Curefind," he replied politely. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," he answered, "but you requested that periodical reports be made to you, therefore, I am calling to inform you that Miss Kasugazaki is recovering well, and there are no signs of complications to her condition. She's not as pale as she was before, and her breathing and heart rate have evened out greatly, with the wounds healing well. We predict that we can allow her to be released from the hospital starting around late this week."

"Excellent," Hibiki said. "Thanks Doctor. Please alert me if anything happens."

"Of course," the doctor agreed. "Goodbye, Mr. Kiryu."

"Bye," he replied, hanging up and looking at his friends. "Apparently Fumiko could be released from the hospital late this week. The doctor said that she's recovering well."

They all sighed in relief.

"That's good news to hear," Yayoi sighed.

"Yeah," Atsuki agreed. "No complications?"

Hibiki shook his head. "None," he said. "She'll be making a full recovery." Sighing, he buried his face into his hands. "It's all my fault, I should have protected her better."

"Awww… it's not your fault, Hibiki," Yayoi tried to reassure. "It's not like you knew this was going to happen."

"Still," he sighed depressingly. "I feel responsible for getting her into this state."

Akira nodded in agreement. "And it's not like she blames you for what happened," he said. "Come on, man, don't worry about it. As long as Kasugazaki doesn't blame you, there's no reason why you should blame yourself."

"Plus, it's not like she's going to have scars from this," Atsuki added. "Her wounds are going to heal without problem."

"Even so… I still feel responsible for what happened," he retorted. "Those drunks originally attacked _me_, but she stepped in to save me, and because of me, she was injured."

Atsuki nodded. "I know what you mean," he agreed, recalling the AMS bank incident. _Fumiko took a poisoned dart for me,_ he recalled, _if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be here right now. It was all my fault. And because of it, I nearly lost her._

Suddenly, Atsuki's cell rang, and he pulled it from his pocket, looking at the front. It was the cover name of FORT, and he looked at his friends. "Sorry, but I have to take this," he said, standing up and leaving the café, standing outside as he picked up the phone. "Nola, what is it?"

"Is Fumiko okay?" she demanded in a worried tone. "Natsuki sensed what happened, and I informed Liu already. He's on his way to the hospital to see her. Um… by the way, Liu wanted me to relay a message to you. He wants to let you know that you're in big trouble with him for allowing Fumiko to get hurt."

Atsuki sighed. "I kinda figured that already, thanks," he replied. "I'll speak with him when I go see Fumiko later."

"Well, the Chief finds that this is getting too dangerous for Fumiko," Nola told him. "This is what, the second time she's been to the hospital in a week? And Liu's put in his report that her mental health is deteriorating by the day. The Chief thinks that we should pull her out of the field before she gets killed."

He sighed once more. "So the Chief is pretty much saying that Liu Yee and I are both failing at protecting her from whatever's out to get her?" he assumed.

He heard her take a deep breath before answering, "Sort of." She took a pause before continuing. "Over the past week, a lot of events have occurred in Kisaragi City, and we think that all these strange occurrences might connect with Fumiko being there in the city. First, you reported that Yayoi Kamishiro's Shinen has changed ever since the day Fumiko arrived and went to school with you. Next was the strange force that kept trying to break into Fumiko's mind. And that's already happened several times during the course of the week. Then there was the incident at AMS Bank. That _can't_ have been by coincidence, after all, Fumiko sent in a copy of her CIA report to us which informed us that she was found and purposely targeted. She was injured as a result, and the both of you were nearly killed. Now this: Fumiko Kasugazaki and Hibiki Kiryu were attacked by a group of supposedly drunk men infected with Silent, and Fumiko was injured and nearly _died_ in the hospital."

"Now that you list it that way," Atsuki said, looking up into the bright blue sky, "I think you may be right. But what does it all mean? It's not like if we just remove Fumiko from the field, all this would stop."

Nola sighed, "We don't know what would happen. Maybe it would just get worse. For now, I've got Liu watching over Fumiko as she recovers in the hospital, and I want you to make sure nothing further happens to her."

"Got it," he replied sternly.

"Poor Fumiko," she commented. "She's been through so much pain and its only been a week since she arrived in Kisaragi."

Atsuki sighed depressingly. "I know," he agreed.

"Send her my regards," she told him, "and you should think about telling her that you love her sometime soon, otherwise, you may not get the chance."

The silver-haired undercover student paused for a moment before answering, "Yeah, I'll think about it. Talk to you later."

As they both hung up, Atsuki slipped the phone into his pocket and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

_I must be in _so_ much trouble with Liu,_ he thought depressingly. _He must be furious with me. Well… I _did_ tell Nola that I would speak to him later. Ah well… as long as she's okay, I can handle it._

"This is going to be a long day," he sighed out loud. "I'm going to work hard to make sure that Fumiko doesn't ever get hurt again."

Slowly, he went back inside the café, and he saw them look at him worriedly, so he purposely gave a false smile. Walking back into the café, Atsuki looked at his friends. "Sorry guys, but I'm afraid I have to leave," he announced.

They looked at him and nodded.

"Bye Atsuki, we'll see you later," Hibiki said.

He nodded. "See you guys," he replied, bidding them all goodbye before leaving and heading towards the hospital.

* * *

**Ahaha... Liu Yee's at the hospital. Atsuki's in SOOO much trouble. ahahaha, that will be in the next chapter though. lolz. Till then, see ya!**

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	12. Guilt

**It's been a while since I've updated, so I hope you like it!**

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**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Guilt

When Atsuki arrived at the hospital, arriving at the front of her room. Knocking gently, he peeked open the door before stepping in, closing the door behind him.

Fumiko lay sleeping in her bed, seeming peacefully asleep, and Liu Yee sat by her side, holding her hand in his as he brushed away a few bangs from her face.

"Fumiko," Atsuki breathed quietly, and Liu Yee glared hard at him, his hand tightening in Fumiko's.

Very slowly, Atsuki walked over to sit on Fumiko's other side, and took her other hand in his own. Fumiko's hand was so cold, and he knew that she was weak... and it was all his fault.

"Dammit, Atsuki, why weren't you there to protect her?" Liu Yee scowled angrily. "That was the other mission FORT assigned you!"

Atsuki squeezed his eyes shut, but he knew that it was true. He was the cause of this, and he knew that she wouldn't survive if she were to be attacked again.

"I-I never imagined that she would get hurt," he said. "I-I thought…"

"You let her _down_, Atsuki!" the Sweeper growled angrily, his voice rising, and Fumiko stirred gently. Both noticed that her hands squeezed theirs gently, and they could tell that she was weak. Liu Yee looked at her worriedly, afraid that she might awaken, then sighed heavily. "We will continue this discussion later. I do not want to disturb her rest. She will need it in order to recover quicker. Are you even aware that Fumiko has not have a decent night's sleep ever since she's arrived in Kisaragi City?"

He shook his head, aghast at the news. "I-I didn't know that…" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "A-All this time… she's been suffering… and she's never said a word to me about it…"

"She didn't want you to worry," Liu said, his gaze darkening. "And she didn't want to worry me either… but I figured it out and reported back to FORT… that's one of the reasons why I believe she should be pulled out of the field for this one. It doesn't look like she can take much more of this. Much more of this, and she'll die."

Atsuki tensed, as he never wanted this to happen. He loved her, and he wasn't about to let her fall to the likes of Silent infectees. Bowing his head, he closed his eyes, trying to send her his support.

"Don't fail again," Liu Yee threatened, "if you should fail again, Atsuki, Fumiko will be the one to pay the price… possibly even with _her life_."

The silver-haired student nodded in bitter but true understanding.

Suddenly, Fumiko's hands twitched in theirs, and they looked to see her slowly half-opening her eyes, watching them with darkened azure orbs.

"A-Atsuki…" she whispered, her voice barely audible, "L-Liu…"

"Fumiko, you're awake," Liu said softly, all traces of his previous anger vanishing.

"How are you feeling?" Atsuki asked.

She sighed quietly, "been better. I feel like I've been working myself overtime for seven days straight. Hmm… even worse than when I was with the CIA."

"That would probably be because you've haven't had a decent night's sleep since you arrived in Kisaragi precisely seven days ago," Liu answered. "You've been getting involved in these people's lives more than you _should _be. Whatever happened to rule number one, don't get attached?"

She slowly blinked, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a weak smile. "Flew out the window, I suppose," she said softly. "That, along with all the other rules. But I'm surprised the chief still puts up with me."

Atsuki touched her cheek, caressing it softly with his hand. "I should apologize to you, Fumiko. I should have been there to help you," he apologized sincerely. "I'm so sorry."

Her eyes met his, azure eyes that laid no blame. "It's okay, Atsuki," she told him, "I never blamed you for what happened to me. It was my choice to protect Hibiki. Things in Kisaragi are turning out to be more serious than I thought."

Liu Yee exchanged a brief glance with Atsuki before informing her, "Fumiko, Chief Ray has been worried about your health and safety lately… he's considering pulling you off this case and out of Kisaragi."

She smiled softly. "Can't let him do that," she said. "'Never abandon your mission if your heart is set on it': that's what I learned from the CIA. I can't give up now. I've only been here for a week!"

"But look how many times you've been sent to the hospital already," Atsuki argued, fear showing in his Shinen. "You've been getting worse and worse every day here in Kisaragi. You've already nearly died. Aren't you worried? Scared, even?"

She weakly shook her head. "The only thing I'd be scared of is letting the people I love and care about down," she admitted. "That includes you two as well. You're both important to me."

"As you're important to us," Liu replied affectionately. "Now you should sleep. You've lost far too much sleep than is for your own good."

Slowly, her azure eyes slipped close before her heads relaxed in theirs.

"This could have all been prevented," Atsuki breathed, his voice filled with guilt, "this is all my fault."

Liu Yee glared at the younger FORT agent. "You're lucky that Fumiko's forgiven you," he informed acidly. "You're lucky that Fumiko is so forgiving. If it were me… that would be an entirely differently story."

The silver-haired teen squeezed Fumiko's hand, holding it in both of his, cradling it gently before pressing it to his lips. Stray tears fell from his eyes and onto her hand.

"Fumiko…" he whispered, bowing his head before standing up, moving closer to kiss her softly on the forehead. "I'm so sorry."

Liu Yee looked at him. "Allow her to rest," he advised. "Her main weakness is because of this force trying to penetrate her mind, not to mention her lack of sleep. Once she regains her energy through much-deserved rest, she'll hopefully be a lot better."

"Still…" he responded depressingly. "I only hope things will return back to normal after this incident. Things have been too hard on her already, and she's only been here for about a week." He paused for a moment, then sighed. "I'm gonna head out now," he said. "Take good care of Fumiko, will you? Call me if anything happens."

xXx

After Atsuki left the hospital, he decided to head home to get some rest. Sighing, he lay down on his bed, closing his eyes. He had had a long day, seeing Hibiki kiss Fumiko and allowing the girl he loved to get injured, it had hurt him a lot, and he felt an incredible amount of guilt because of it.

"Hopefully Fumiko will be alright," he sighed to himself before allowing himself to drift off into what began as a peaceful sleep.

xXx

_"Fumiko, Fumiko, where are you?" Atsuki called out, his voice filled with worry, finding himself standing in front of Triple Step. _

_"Atsuki, I'm right here," her soft voice replied, and he whirled around to see her smiling at him right behind her. _

_She chuckled. "Really, Atsuki, you worry too much," she teased, her hand reaching to touch his face."Come on, I love you."_

_He blinked, incredulous. "Y-You do?" he breathed, his voice a mere whisper. _

_"Of course, silly," she laughed, kissing him softly on the lips, "what's wrong with you today, Atsuki?"_

_He sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just not myself right now," he told her gently, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you, Fumiko. I love you so much." _

_Fumiko chuckled, throwing her arms around his neck as she kissed him once more. "You're so weird today, Atsuki. Relax, okay?"she told him. "I love you too." She snuggled against his chest as he held her tight, his arms wrapped around her waist._

_"Don't leave me," he murmured into her soft hair. _

_Suddenly, a gaping black hole opened in front of them, and a huge Silent came out from it. _

_Immediately, Atsuki pulled Fumiko behind him protectively, activating his Lux-Pain. _

_"Atsuki, wait-" Fumiko was cut off as he looked back at her with a smile. _

_"I'll protect you," he promised her. "I swear to you I'll protect you." _

_Before she could respond, Atsuki swiftly erased the Silent and it vanished, the black hole closing underneath it. Immediately after the Silent vanished, pain radiated through Fumiko's body as she dropped straight to the ground. _

_"Ah, Fumiko!" he gasped, whirling around to kneel down and pull her into his arms. "Are you alright?"_

_She shook her head. "Atsuki… I-I tried to tell you…" she breathed, her breath hard and painful. "T-That Silent… w-was the Silent… t-tied to my… my life…" _

_"NO!" Atsuki cried out, realizing what he had just done. "No, Fumiko! You can't die!"_

_Weakly, Fumiko smiled at him as her eyes began to close. "I-I love you, Atsuki," she told him softly. "I always will. Stay strong, okay? Do it for me. Farewell… Atsuki Saijo…"_

_As her eyes closed completely, a scream of unimaginable loss ripped across the air as Atsuki clutched her lifeless body tight against him. Liu Yee's words echoed through his head._

If you should fail again, Atsuki, Fumiko will be the one to pay the price… possible with _her life_…

_"Fumiko, dammit," Atsuki wept, "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to… you know I wouldn't…" But it was already too late. By his own hand, Atsuki had killed Fumiko… Now he had lost the only girl he would ever love… forever…_

_xXx_

"FUMIKO!" Atsuki gasped, shooting upright in bed. His heart was pounding hard in his ribcage, and he placed a hand on his forehead, recalling the terrifying nightmare he had.

Looking up at the clock, he found that it was 5:54 in the afternoon, and he sighed deeply. He had been sleeping for about an hour and a half, and he laid back, glancing at his cell phone for any missed calls. Finding none, he put his cell down and stared up at the ceiling.

"It's gonna be a long night…" he muttered to himself.

* * *

**Poor Atsuki. Hope you guys liked it! **

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	13. Day 10: Leading Events

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Chapter Thirteen: Day 10: Leading Events

Atsuki walked into the quad, inhaling deeply. _Well… it's a __Wednesday__ morning, and the good news is: Fumiko was released from the hospital yesterday, she and Hibiki are apparently _not_ dating, and Fumiko isn't mad at me… I think._

"Hey Atsuki! Over here!" Mika called, waving over at him. Beside her were Rui, Yayoi, Ryo, Hibiki, Akira and Fumiko.

He walked over to join them, and they made their 'good mornings'.

"Feeling better, Fumiko?" Atsuki inquired, concern shining in his black eyes.

She nodded with a smile. "I'm feeling a lot better, thanks," she replied gently. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Hibiki pat her on the head. "Tell us if you're not feeling well, alright?" he told her.

"Yeah, I will," she assured. "Like I said, don't worry about me."

"But I have to admit, Kasugazaki, you're looking a little pale," Rui said.

She shook her head. "I'm alright," she assured. "Don't worry about me, okay? I really _am_ fine." She seemed to tremble a little, and only Hibiki and Atsuki took real notice of it.

"Fumiko…" Atsuki murmured quietly.

"Well… let's get going to class before the bell rings," she announced. "We don't want Ms. Matsumura to scold us for being late."

xXx

Later that day, halfway through Mr. Higarashi's class, Fumiko had seemed to hold symptoms of fever.

"Ms. Kasugazaki, would you please tell us in what year did the event on the board happen?" Mr. Higarashi addressed.

As she stood up to answer his question, the class swerved around her as she opened her mouth to speak before she collapsed sideways, Atsuki just barely having time to catch her. The others gasped in alarm.

"Fumiko!" he called, but the girl had fallen unconscious.

Instantly, Mr. Higarashi kneeled down next to them, placing a hand on Fumiko's burning forehead. "She has a fever," he announced, looking at Atsuki. "Can you take her to the infirmary and we'll let Nurse Hino take care of her?"

Very gently, Atsuki lifted Fumiko into his arms, holding her tightly as they watched him carry her out of the classroom. Atsuki carried her to the infirmary, looking down at her with worried eyes. "Why didn't you say anything, Fumiko?" he sighed deeply.

After arriving at the infirmary, Honoka had chided Atsuki to lay Fumiko down onto the bed while she prepared some cold water and a cloth.

"Fumiko…" Atsuki whispered. "Why don't you ever tell me anything?"

Honoka returned, handing Atsuki the cloth. "She needs to be taken home right away," she announced, her voice strained. "By any chance are you able to call someone to come pick her up?"

The silver-haired student nodded. "I'll call him right away," he replied.

She nodded, leaving to pick up a few medicines from the other room.

Atsuki pulled out his cell, dialling Liu Yee's number.

"Atsuki, what is it?" Liu greeted rather subtly.

He sighed heavily as he dabbed at Fumiko's forehead with the wet cloth. "Liu, it's Fumiko," he began. "She has a high fever, and she passed out in the middle of class. Even the school nurse says that she needs to be taken home to be taken care of immediately."

Liu Yee sighed himself. "I _told_ her that she'd get sick soon enough… whatever," he muttered before clearing his throat. "Well, I understand. I'll be there to pick her up in about 15 minutes. I'm in Area 3 right now, and I'll carry her back and take care of her until she recovers. Until I arrive, stay with her."

"I understand," Atsuki retorted, "see you soon." Hanging up, he slipped his phone back into his pocket as he gently wiped the sweat from Fumiko's red, fevered face. "So… apparently Liu knew about you possibly getting sick like this…" he muttered with a sigh. "Why didn't you tell me? Why don't you tell me anything? What's been bothering you so much that you can't tell me?"

A low groan escaped Fumiko's throat, and her eyes weakly fluttered barely open. "H-Huh?" she rasped.

"Fumiko," Atsuki said softly, "you have a terrible fever."

She blinked weakly. "Mmm…" she groaned. "T-That bad?"

He nodded, his eyes filled with worry. "Nurse Honoka advised that you needed to be taken home, so right now Liu's heading over here to come get you and bring you home to take care of you until you get better. He sounded quite unimpressed on the phone… like he was expecting it. He was muttering something like, 'I _told_ her she'd get sick soon enough'," he quoted, his eyes slanting. "Is there a certain _reason_ why he knew about this?"

She weakly nodded. "I haven't been able… to sleep… for over 5 days…" she admitted quietly.

Atsuki sighed, squeezing the excess water from the wet cloth. "Yeah… Liu told me when you were still in the hospital," he told her. "But didn't you sleep well while you were recuperating? It shouldn't have caused this to happen."

"I'm sorry for… worrying you…" she apologized quietly. "I've been really weak… lately… Can't believe… I keep getting done in… by such simple things…" She sighed weakly. "I'm such a… weak CIA agent… huh…"

He brushed hair away from her damp forehead, and tenderly dabbed the cool cloth on her face. "Shhh… it's not your fault all these things happened to you," he told her softly. "You're a strong girl, Fumiko, to have stayed strong for so long. A lot of people would have most likely broke under all this stress and pain, but not you."

Weakly, she smiled. "Thanks, Atsuki," she whispered. "I really appreciate it…"

He looked at her in deep concern. "Fumiko… I need to you to rest, 'kay? I'm sure that the others are worried about you too, so you need to get better as soon as you can."

"'kay…" she murmured, closing her eyes.

xXx

Soon enough, Liu Yee knocked on the Nurse's Office door, and Honoka let him in.

"Ah… I take it you're Kasugazaki's current guardian?" she implored.

"Something like that," Liu responded. "In any case, I'm the one currently taking care of her outside of school, therefore, I suppose you could call me her 'guardian'. I suppose you're Honoka Hino, the school nurse?" He already knew who she was, but he had to make it seem like he didn't.

She nodded. "It's nice to meet you… Mr…."

"Pardon me, my name is Liu Yee," he responded politely.

"Ah, Mr. Yee," Honoka finished, shaking his hand. "Well… Kasugazaki is resting right now, and a friend is taking care of her right now… Atsuki Saijo?"

Liu nodded gravely, a glint of hostility in his eyes. "Ah yes… Mr. _Atsuki Saijo_," he said, acid dripping from his voice as he said Atsuki's name, but Honoka didn't hear it.

Honoka led Liu to where Fumiko was asleep, and Atsuki looked at them as they entered.

"Ah…" he said, dipping his head in greeting to Liu. "Thanks for coming as quickly as you did."

Liu went to Fumiko's side, placing a hand on her boiling forehead and sighed. "Well… I'll be taking her home now," he said. "I'll make sure she gets better as soon as possible."

Honoka handed him a small bottle. "Here, these might help," she told him. "These are strong fever-relieving pills, so when she wakes I recommend that she take two before she goes back to sleep."

"Thank you," Liu replied, pocketing the bottle before turning back to Fumiko, carefully picking her up in his arms, "I'll have Mr. Saijo alert the class tomorrow if she still isn't well enough to return to school."

Atsuki nodded, the concern not leaving his eyes. "Thanks Liu," he said. "I'll walk you guys out."

Honoka looked at him. "Be sure to go straight back to class afterwards," she told him, and the silver-haired student nodded before leading Liu out of the office.

The two FORT agents remained silent as they entered the quad.

"Rest assured, Atsuki," Liu began, "I'll take good care of her."

He nodded. "If you don't mind, I'll stop by after school to check on how she's doing," he replied. "She's going to recover soon, right?"

Liu Yee looked down at Fumiko in his arms. "It'll probably take a while for her to recover completely," he said. "But I think she'll be in much better condition when you come to visit her later."

"Sounds good," Atsuki replied, staring at the unconscious young woman in Liu's arms. "Take good care of her, Liu."

He nodded. "Don't worry, I will," he assured. "See you later." He walked out of the quad, heading back home.

Atsuki stared after them as they left, and sighed heavily. "You really worry me a lot, Fumiko," he muttered, but then his voice softened. "But maybe… that small weakness you have is one of the things I really love about you…"

xXx

Fumiko eventually woke up, staring up to see her temporary home's bright ceiling, and the smell of sweet incents wafted into her nose. She felt a cool, wet cloth resting on her forehead.

_So Liu's already taken me home…_ she thought, regretting it as she felt a strong pulsing in her head of a headache.

"You're finally awake, Fumiko." Liu's soft voice greeted her, and she turned her head slightly to look at him. "How do you feel right now?"

"Pretty bad," she rasped, coughing slightly. "G-Guess you were right… I-I would… g-get sick…"

He sighed, "Well, as long as you get better. I've been waiting till you would wake up so I could give you this medicine. I'm sure you must be thirsty as well."

Placing a hand on her back, he helped her sit up a little, pressing a pill of strong fever-relieving medicine into her hand as he handed her a cup of water.

"Thanks," she muttered tiredly, popping the pill into her mouth before swallowing it with a large gulp of water. She drained the rest of the cup before handing it back to Liu, who set it down on the table as he helped her lie back down, changing the cloth on her forehead as he used another piece to dab at her face, wiping off some of the sweat.

"You need lots of rest, Fumiko," Liu advised softly. "In all truth, you shouldn't have gotten sick at all. You had lots of rest while you were in the hospital, so why did you get sick?"

She twitched her shoulders weakly as a shrug. "I-I don't know…" she rasped. "J-Just… f-felt weird… collapsed…"

"Hmmm…" he muttered, clearing his throat. "Well, after school, Atsuki's coming to pay you a visit. He was really worried about you."

Fumiko slowly blinked up at him, her chest heaving with deep breaths. "I know…" she exhaled. "I know… you're worried… too… 'bout me… Sorry… Liu…"

"Shhh…" he hushed, "just rest, Fumiko. I forgive you, and just make sure you feel better as soon as possible. Now sleep."

She did as told, closing her eyes, and eventually she fell into a deep, peaceful, calming, healing sleep. Liu Yee sat vigil by her side for a little bit before quietly leaving to the living room, where he continued his paperwork for the FORT.

xXx

After school, Atsuki headed to Liu Yee's apartment, concerned about Fumiko's condition. When he had returned to the classroom, the others were a little restless, and immediately asked Atsuki for her condition. He had only told them that she had a fever, but did not mention how bad, knowing that it would cause them to worry a lot more. Throughout the rest of classes, Atsuki couldn't keep his mind off of Fumiko, but he wouldn't dare admit it to anyone else.

As he was nearing the building, he wondered why Fumiko caught a fever in the first place. Logically he would think of the 5 sleepless nights, however, due to the previous incident's hospitalization, granting Fumiko the rest that she needed, her body should have no reason to be weak.

_I'll need to get to the bottom of this and figure things out,_ he thought determinedly. _Poor Fumiko. She's been through so much. Well… hopefully things run a lot more smoothly from now on. Not to mention I hope that she'll enjoy the Winter Formal when it comes up soon._

Atsuki sighed as he arrived at the door. Taking a deep breath, he rapped twice on the door, and he heard quiet footsteps approaching before the door opened, and Liu Yee looked at him.

"Ah, you're here," he said matter-of-factly. "Please, come in. Fumiko's still sleeping."

As Atsuki entered the apartment, the smell of incents filled his nose. _So _this_ is where Liu is staying,_ he thought, looking around at the Chinese-style décor. "So how is she doing?" he implored.

"Her fever's gone down," Liu responded, a tone of relief in his voice. "I'd say it's almost completely gone now. She's been resting peacefully since she took the medicine your school nurse gave me. I think she should be well by tomorrow, but I think I should probably keep her home just in case."

"Can I go see her right now?" the silver-haired agent implored.

He nodded. "But don't wake her, and don't be too long," he said.

Suddenly, a scream resounded from Fumiko's bedroom, and immediately both of them ran to the room.

"Fumiko!" they cried, and Fumiko was sitting up in her bed, her body covered in sweat, her eyes wide, her hair all messed up, and she was shaking furiously, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The top two buttons of her blouse were undone, and her shirt seemed all rumpled and crinkled. Tears seemed to stream down her face, and she looked like a wreck, completely not like her normally well-groomed appearance, and it shocked Atsuki.

"AH!" Fumiko shrieked, her azure eyes horrified as she saw a dark shadow in her mind, and the next thing she felt was Atsuki's warm arms around her.

"Shhh, it's alright now," he reassured her quickly, rubbing his hand up and down her back to try and soothe her. "It's alright… we're here now. There's nothing to worry about. Shhh… calm down…"

She closed her eyes, trembling against his chest. "A-Atsuki… it's just Atsuki… no Silent… n-no Silent…" she breathed to herself repeatedly, trying to calm down.

"Fumiko, what happened?" Liu asked gently, sitting down next to them. "Did you have a nightmare?"

She nodded, burying her head against Atsuki's chest. "A Silent that I've never seen before…" she breathed. "It was taunting me; showing me terrible things; eating me alive… I was so scared. It was nothing like I've ever felt before."

Atsuki held her face in his hands as he forced her to look deeply into his eyes, calming her down by his slightly hypnotic gaze. "Fumiko…" he said softly but urgently. "Will you let me read your Shinen? Maybe I can help out."

Shakily but surely, she nodded, and he took a deep breath, staring deeply into her distressed azure eyes, activated his Lux-pain and began to use Σ.

_Silent… going to devour me… pain and suffering… coming for me… Fumiko Kasugazaki… a dark shadow…sharp yellow teeth… gruesome demonic claws… yellow eyes… that stare into my soul… so terrifying… left alone…_

Fumiko screamed, twisting away her gaze from Atsuki as she broke the connection, and Liu grabbed Fumiko, pulling her against him as she buried her head in his chest, weeping with bitter fear.

"Stop, Atsuki," he told the surprised and slightly shocked FORT agent. "Any results?"

The silver-haired student nodded. "It was a nightmare about Silent," he said gently. "Obviously one that we haven't seen yet. It was shadow-like, and it seemed to be eating away at Fumiko's fear of being alone."

Liu held Fumiko close, muffling her silent cries. "For the two years that I've been with Fumiko, I've never seen her like _this_ before," he said, a little astonished. "She's never had this sort of breakdown before."

Atsuki nodded in agreement. "Will she be alright?" he implored.

Fumiko looked at him, tears blurring irritated azure eyes. "Don't talk like I'm not here," she croaked. "I-I should be fine… I think… I-I'm just as confused as the both of you."

Liu gently pried her grip off of him, and pushed her towards Atsuki, and he embraced her. "Stay with her while I give HQ a call," he ordered. "I'll ask about the Silent Fumiko saw, and see what the Chief wants us to do." He stood up and left the room.

Atsuki looked down at Fumiko cradled in his arms, and she had laid her cheek against his chest, her eyes closed. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"No," she answered honestly, swallowing hard. "I've never been more frightened in my entire life. Atsuki, in all honesty, I'm scared, I-"

His arm tightened around her, keeping her close, while his other hand pressed her head tighter against his chest, surprising her into silence. "Shhh…" he chided softly. "It's alright, Fumiko. I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, 'kay? I promised I'd protect you, didn't I?"

Fumiko swallowed. "Yeah…" she whispered. "Thank you, Atsuki…" She could feel his chest heave with every breath that he took, and she could hear his heart pounding in his chest at a little faster-than-normal rate. He must've been worried when she panicked about the Silent.

They stayed like that until Liu returned to the room.

"Fumiko, are you feeling a little better?" he queried.

She nodded slowly as she pulled out of Atsuki's arms. "What did HQ say?" she asked in a slightly croaked voice.

"The Chief is sending one of our doctor-specialists on the way who can use Σ and he'll be trying to figure out what are you experiencing and why," Liu answered. "Until he arrives, you are to stay here at my apartment. Dr. Honda will be arriving in a few hours."

She nodded in response, and he sighed, "You know, Nola, Natsuki, and the Chief are really worried about you. It's been hard on you since you first arrived at Kisaragi City. You've been getting into all sorts of trouble."

"We're worried about you too," Atsuki added. "You've been sent to the hospital quite a bit already…"

Fumiko blinked sadly before looking down. "I'm sorry, you guys," she apologized quietly. "I think maybe I'll talk to the Chief about pulling out of this case temporarily, until things get a little better, I guess… I'm just causing too many problems for you guys, and I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden," Liu retorted, "you're a friend, comrade, and ally. We'll help you if you need us."

She looked up and smiled sadly but sincerely at the Sweeper. "Thanks, Liu," she thanked quietly before looking away. "Now I'm a little nervous to go back to sleep again…"

"Have you had this nightmare before?" Atsuki queried curiously.

"Sort of," she answered uneasily, closing her eyes as if recalling the memory. "Never as vivid as _this_ though. The fear eating away at me was ice cold and relentless, like it planned to devour my soul. _Something_ was there, I knew it, but… I couldn't figure out what. I definitely knew that it wasn't the Silent that had given me Σ, because it's never been hostile, and it's tied to my life. _That_ Silent has adapted to the nature of my soul, and it's seemed to become a kind and kindred sort of life within my own. But what I felt… was entirely different."

"But if you've felt it before, why didn't you say anything about it?" Liu implored.

She looked at them. "I didn't want to burden you both with my troubles," she explained. "I only now realize that it's even _more_ burdening that _this_ has happened. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Fumiko," Atsuki chided. "It's not your fault."

She sighed depressingly. "Well… I guess the only thing we can do now is wait for the FORT doctor to come, then maybe I can rest easier before I lose my peace of mind."

* * *

**Whoa... we've seen a side of Fumiko that's never been seen before. O_O**

**Poor Fumiko though, being haunted by Silent nightmares. Is this a premonition (*hint**hint*)? **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	14. Lack of Explanations

**Since it's been a while since I've last updated, here's the next chapter! Please enjoy!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Lack of Explanations

A couple of hours later, Dr. Kisuke Honda arrived at Liu Yee's apartment room to see Fumiko.

"Ah, Dr. Honda," Liu greeted. "She's right in here."

The dark-haired, green-eyed doctor entered the bedroom, and Fumiko was sitting on her bed with Atsuki by her side. She could see that he looked to be around his late twenties, had broad shoulders, was moderately tall, and was exceptionally handsome. He was wearing a white collared shirt, dark brown pants, and wore a long white lab coat.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Kasugazaki, Mr. Saijo, I'm Dr. Kisuke Honda with FORT," he introduced in a light tone. "Chief Ray explained everything to me, and I'm here just to make sure that nothing has infected your mind. Is that alright with you, Miss Kasugazaki?"

She nodded. "It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Honda," she replied. "Please, do what you can."

He grabbed a chair from the room and sat down across from Fumiko. "Okay, now I need you to close your eyes and relax," he told her.

She did as she was told and exhaled deeply. He placed a hand over her eyes, and used his other to press two fingers against his left temple, and closed his own eyes.

Liu and Atsuki watched as Dr. Honda silently dived into Fumiko's mind, searching for any signs of troubles. Fumiko seemed to remain calm, and Atsuki was holding one of her hands, and her body seemed to be relaxed, her mind shaky, nevertheless calm.

After a few minutes, Dr. Honda withdrew his hands, and opened his eyes.

"Miss Kasugazaki, you can open your eyes now," he told her gently.

She did as she was told, blinking first at the doctor before looking at Atsuki and Liu before shaking her head quickly, returning her attention to the doctor in front of her.

"How is she, Doctor?" Liu implored.

He looked up at the 24-year-old Sweeper standing next to him. "Well, I've searched her entire mind for any odd Silent-related inconsistencies, but there doesn't seem to be anything of the sort. The only exception would be the one deep within her heart tied to her life, but it doesn't seem to have done any harm to her, therefore, it is not the problem."

"But then what's this strange Silent that Fumiko is seeing?" Atsuki implored.

"Well… according to the description Fumiko gave me," Liu began, "FORT has absolutely no record of it or anything close to it."

Fumiko inhaled deeply before letting out a sigh. "_Now_ what am I supposed to do?" she asked. "I'm not going crazy, am I?"

"Not at all," Dr. Honda assured. "Though it may be true that I have no explanations to why you are seeing these nightmares, I believe that due to the extensive search I've just done, there is no definite reason to believe that Silent is responsible."

Even though Atsuki and Liu Yee seemed to be slightly more relieved, Fumiko's expression didn't change much. Something stirred in her heart, and she felt that there was more to her mental "illness" than met the eye. But since she had no incriminating evidence to prove it, she had no choice but to let it go… for the time being.

"So it's just a temporary thing?" Atsuki queried. "Eventually it'll go away and Fumiko's sleep patterns will return to normal."

Dr. Honda nodded. "It _should_," he said. "But if there are any other complications or new developments, please let me know through the FORT. I will be around and about, but I will still be within a couple hours reach."

"Okay, thanks, Doc.," Fumiko thanked quietly. She looked at Liu and Atsuki. "Hey, guys? I'm gonna go out and take a walk, okay? I need some fresh air."

Both of them looked like they were about to protest, but Liu understood how Fumiko must have been feeling.

"Very well," he sighed. "Call us immediately if you need anything."

She nodded. "I think I'm gonna head over to Sweet Ring or something," she began unsurely. "Otherwise I think I might head to Rainbow Hill or Chitose Pond…" She began to trail off, biting her lip. "Well… you guys can give me a call if you need me or if there are any problems."

Atsuki nodded. "I'll come meet up with you afterwards," he told her.

Fumiko didn't respond as she left to the bathroom to splash water on her face to cool herself down. After that she left, leaving in her white blouse and dark pants with her small shoulder bag, her Shinen seeming sad.

"Her Shinen is very conflicted," Atsuki told them. "I wonder what's wrong?"

"Well… even though it doesn't seem like anything too serious," Dr. Honda began, "you both need to keep a careful eye on her. Report any abnormal activities to FORT, so try to keep an eye on her as much as you can. Miss Kasugazaki could still be in grave danger…"

xXx

Fumiko sighed, walking around Kisaragi absentmindedly. The next thing she knew, she found herself standing in front of Chitose Pond, staring at her reflection in the water.

"Kasugazaki?" a voice broke her out of her reverie, and she turned around to see Akira, Mika, and Rui walking towards her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Mika implored. "You just collapsed this morning."

"Are you sure you're well enough to be walking around, Kasugazaki?" Akira added.

She looked at them. "Uh… yeah, I'm feeling a lot better now. I had a friend take good care of me, but I just felt like I really needed some air," she explained, "I've been stuck inside all day since I got sick. I'm a lot better now, but I think it's best if you guys keep your distance, just in case. I wouldn't want to get you guys sick as well."

"Awww… don't worry about it, Fumiko," Rui assured. "You don't look or sound sick anymore."

"Well… we're going over to Sweet Ring for a snack, do you want to come?" Akira offered.

She shook her head. "No thanks," she replied. "I'm just walking around and enjoying the fresh breeze and whatnot. You guys go. I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

"Awww… okay," Mika said. "Bye, Fumiko."

"See ya," Akira bid, Rui chiming her own farewell before the three friends left, Fumiko staring back into her own reflection in the clear pond water.

_Fumiko…_ a distant voice called in her head. _Fumiko… come to me… Fumiko…_

She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but the park was empty… _deserted_, almost.

"Hello?" she called, looking around. "Who's there?"

_Fumiko… come play with me…_ the voice called again. _Come play… so you can lose… and I can devour your mind… and your soul…_

She stared into the water, seeing a dark shadow standing next to her, but when she turned, she saw no one there. Looking back into the water, she gaze was trapped by a pair of twin yellow eyes, dark purple claws, and a dark swirling Shinen of evil.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't see or sense the black-cloaked man sneaking towards her, a large-bladed knife brandished in his hand. His blood-red eyes were focused on his unsuspecting prey, his hood pulled over his head, hiding his eyes. As he drew closer to Fumiko's form, he raised his knife, ready to kill. A pitch black serial killer Shinen rose around him, but Fumiko couldn't sense it.

"Fumiko! Behind you!" Atsuki cried as he ran towards them. Natsuki had called to alert him that there was a Shinen of a pure evil serial killer in Area 1, and that it was approaching Fumiko's Shinen. Immediately he had ran to find Fumiko, hoping to reach her in time. "FUMIKO!"

Fumiko snapped back into reality as she whirled around right as the man plunged the knife down at her. Immediately, she just barely dodged the blade before he followed-through with an upwards slash, but Fumiko managed to skilfully back-flip away, her foot catching him under the chin, causing her assailant to drop his knife.

CIA training kicking into effect, she lashed out a few punches and kicks before knocking him out with a final roundhouse kick to the lower jaw, knocking him down to the ground. Immediately, she grabbed out her handcuffs from her purse and cuffed him, pinning him down on the ground.

"Atsuki, I'll call the police, I'm sure they'll want to take him in for questioning," she ordered, taking out her cell as she stood up. "But first, check his Shinen, I think we'll find that his matches that R. Shinen of the violent attacker we found the first day I was here. Not to mention erase the Silent."

"Good idea," he agreed. "I think you're right."

Atsuki activated Σ and began to read his thoughts.

_Unsuspecting girl in the park… Perfect victim… kill… infinite power… I can do anything… I am invisible… death… blood… hate them… young woman… victim… death…_

As Atsuki finished reading the man's mind, he swiftly erased the Silent haunting his mind, and when he had completed that, Fumiko had just finished talking with the police.

"Are you alright, Fumiko?" Atsuki implored worriedly.

She nodded shakily. "I'm alright, thanks to you," she sighed gratefully. "If you hadn't of alerted me when you did… I would have probably…" she trailed off, the both of them knowing very well what would have happened.

"How come you didn't sense him?" he asked. "You normally don't let _anyone_ sneak up on you like that, _especially_ someone with such an angry and evil Shinen like that. He would have killed you."

Fumiko looked away. "I-I was distracted," she admitted. "I wasn't thinking straight. Something was… bothering me…"

"As long as you're alright now," he sighed, his voice filled with relief as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.

"Thank you, Atsuki," she breathed against his shirt. "It's thanks to you that I'm alive. If you hadn't have arrived, I would have been murdered. Thank you so much."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again," he told her. "That was just _way_ too close. If Natsuki hadn't called, I would have no idea what was about to happen."

She inhaled deeply, exhaling shakily as she felt her knees about to collapse, unintentionally leaning against Atsuki. He held her up before she was about to fall, and he looked into her eyes.

"Fumiko, what's wrong? Why aren't you sensing this? That was just too close. You could have been killed," he told her. "I would never forgive myself if I had arrived too late."

The both of them could hear sirens approaching, and Fumiko pulled away from him, looking up into his eyes.

"You should go, Atsuki," she told him softly. "You don't need to involve yourself with this. This is my problem."

He shook his head. "I'll stay," he replied. "I just said I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Fumiko sat down against a tree, staring up into the sky as the police stormed the area, including Aya Nagashima and Yui Yamase.

"Fumiko! Atsuki! Are you alright?" Aya demanded.

"We're fine," she assured. "He's out cold and already cuffed. Don't worry."

Yui looked at her, back at the unconscious man, at Atsuki, then back to Fumiko. "What happened here?"

"In one sentence, this guy tried to kill me," Fumiko said, looking down at the unconscious man.

"Tell us everything," Aya ordered.

"Atsuki spotted the man before I did as he crept behind me, Atsuki called out to me, where I was forced to enter an unfortunate engagement with the man, otherwise he would have downright just killed me right there," Fumiko explained quietly to the two women. "Well… anyway, I knocked him out, cuffed him, and called for help."

Yui looked shocked. "_You_ took out this guy?" she gasped.

"Uh… yeah, about that, Yui, when we head back to the station, come to my office, and we'll explain it to you," Aya said. She looked at Atsuki. "Hey, Atsuki, you alright?"

He nodded. "A little shaken though," he lied.

"Well… you just nearly saw your ex-girlfriend get killed," Yui muttered under her breath before turning back to Fumiko. "Are you well enough to come down to the station for a few questions?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm fine. Unharmed, a little shaken up though, but I guess that's still the adrenaline pumping." She gave an uneasy chuckle as she stood up.

"Saijo, you should probably come as well," Yui said. "Can't leave you alone here either."

Aya nodded at Fumiko. "Good job, Fumiko," she said approvingly. "We had a report last week about an assault on a young woman as well in Area 1. He matches the description she gave us. Thanks for nabbing him for us."

"Just doing my job," she replied. "Let's get going… I think the aura's getting a little too tense in this situation."

Yui looked at Aya and nodded. "The others can stay here and investigate the scene and take him in for questioning," she agreed. "Let's head down to the station and get everything cleared up."

Fumiko sighed tiredly as she took a shaky step forward before seeming about to collapse, and Atsuki caught her against him. "Hey, Fumiko, are you sure you're up to this?" he asked.

She nodded. "I hope to get a good night's sleep to get my strength back," she replied. "After that, I should be perfectly fine in the morning. For now, let's just get this done and over with."

xXx

When they arrived at Aya's office, Fumiko and Atsuki sat down across from Aya and Yui at Aya's desk.

"So… what is it that I need to know?" Yui implored.

Aya looked up at her. "Well… you know how Atsuki has his own history with law enforcement being a profiler and all," she began, "Fumiko also has her own fair share of history with law enforcement."

"Really?" she exclaimed, eyes widening, "What did you do?"

"CIA agent," Fumiko told her simply. "Still am, technically."

Yui blinked before bursting into laughter. "C-CIA agent, hahaha, that's so funny!" she laughed, holding her sides while laughing hard. But Aya, Fumiko, and Atsuki weren't laughing. Sobering up quickly, she blinked at them. "Are you serious, Kasugazaki?" she implored.

"Yeah," she replied, pulling her badge from her pocket and showing it to her as proof. "I was with the CIA for two years, then I retired from the agency, but then I was just recently called back, so I suppose I'm back with them."

"B-But… you're so young!" she protested.

"Well… Atsuki _was_ a profiler himself," Aya pointed out. "And he's the same age as young Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki."

Fumiko tossed a teasing glare at her before shaking her head with a sigh, causing the undercover FORT agent to chuckle in amusement.

Yui bit her upper lip. "So… _that's_ why you had handcuffs and could take him out without harm done to yourself," she realized, crossing her arms. "Wow… CIA… how did a young girl like you get in the CIA?"

"Long story," Fumiko sighed, "classified information. The less you know about me regarding the agency, the better."

Aya nodded in agreement. "It was best to tell you before you starting getting people to dig up background information on her."

"But Yui, if anyone asks about me regarding me being with the CIA, deny it all. Claim to not know anything about it," Fumiko requested. "If _anyone_ should ask about me that you haven't seen before, don't engage them, but make sure you remember their faces and a basic general description, and if so happens, please get a name."

She nodded. "It's still hard to believe that you're in the CIA, Kasugazaki," she said. "I find it really unbelievable."

Fumiko smiled. "That's why I'd be one of the last people anyone suspected to be an agent," she said, "which protects me at the same time."

"So… I suppose you used your CIA training to take down that man?" Yui implored, and she nodded. "Well… that explains a lot. Any other info regarding the guy?"

She shook her head. "I'll alert either you or Aya if there's anything else," she replied. "Oh… and if the media asks about this case, no comment. Oh, but if you guys need help or anything, don't be afraid to call me for help."

"Wait a second," Yui realized, "does that mean the CIA agents who went into AMS Bank the other day included _you_?"

She nodded. "My partner and I," she corrected. "Yeah, we infiltrated AMS Bank and thankfully managed to rescue all of the hostages without any casualties to them."

She gasped in amazement. "Astounding," she breathed. "And you're only 17."

Fumiko chuckled. "Yep," she agreed. "Please don't tell anyone about me."

"Your secret's safe with me," Yui assured. "There's nothing to worry about, Kasugazaki."

Atsuki looked at Aya and Yui. "Not to be rude or anything, but can we please go now? Fumiko still needs to recover after having a fever earlier," he requested politely but there was a hint of impatience in his voice.

Aya nodded. "Be careful on the way home," she bid. "Hope you recover completely soon, Fumiko."

"Thanks," she replied. "See you later."

xXx

There was only silence between them as Atsuki walked Fumiko back home as it was a few hours past sunset, and there was little light left in the sky. The silence seemed slightly awkward, but Atsuki could feel that only sad Shinen rose in Fumiko's heart. He knew better than to try and read it knowing that she'd put up a block.

"Fumiko?" he addressed quietly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah…" she lied, sighing. "Do I seem not alright or something? Oh… it's probably my Shinen…"

He looked at her. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

She smiled at him tiredly. "I wish I could, Atsuki…" she trailed off.

"Atsuki! Fumiko!" a voice called, and they both looked to see Nami running up to them, a small bag in her hand, Melody chasing after them.

Melody still couldn't speak with Nami anymore after that previous incident the first time Atsuki went there.

"Ah, hey, Nami," Fumiko greeted softly.

"Hi Nami," Atsuki added. "What are you still doing out?"

"I heard from Yayoi," she replied, looking up at Fumiko. "Are you alright, Fumiko? Feeling better?"

She nodded, smiling kindly and sincerely at her. "Thanks for your concern," she replied gratefully. "I'm feeling much better, thank you."

"That's great!" Nami said, offering her the small white paper bag she had in her hand. "I got this for you as a Get Well gift. It's a cute dog cell phone charm that looks a lot like Melody!"

"Awww… thank you," Fumiko thanked, kneeling down in front of Melody as she slipped the bag into her pocket. "You didn't have to get me anything. But since you did… I have something in return."

Closing her eyes, she placed her hands on the sides of Melody's head, focusing hard as she began to use her Σ to try and repair Melody's old Shinen, fixing the twisted Silent back into normal before erasing it completely. Both Nami and Atsuki could feel powerful waves of energy emit from Fumiko with their powers, and Fumiko sighed, releasing Melody as she collapsed sideways.

Before she completely fell, Atsuki caught her with his arm, kneeling down to press her against his chest, feeling that the girl had collapsed from her exhaustion entirely. He could tell that she was sleeping peacefully now.

"Melody?" Nami breathed in wonder, staring at her beloved friend as Atsuki could see her Shinen beam in rays of yellowy happiness. "C-Can you really speak to me again? Oh Melody!" She threw her arms around the dog as Melody whined in affectionate reply.

Atsuki wondered how Fumiko did that. Using Σ to fix Silent before erasing it? It hadn't been heard of, at least… not that he knew.

"Is Fumiko okay, Atsuki?" Nami implored worriedly.

He nodded. "She just needs to sleep," he replied. "She's had a long day. But she'll be up on her feet and at school tomorrow, so of course she'll recover just fine."

"I'm going to thank her _so_ much tomorrow!" she cheered determinedly. "She fixed Melody!"

Atsuki chuckled gently, picking Fumiko up on his back, her arms drooping limply over his shoulders, her head resting against his upper back, "I gotta take her home to get some proper rest, so I'll see you later, Nami."

Nami nodded as Melody barked softly. "Make sure you take good care of her, Atsuki!" she told him. "Melody wouldn't be happy if her saviour was injured."

He chuckled. "Don't worry," he assured her. "Good night."

"Night!" she exclaimed, and they went their separate directions.

"Sleep well, Fumiko," Atsuki said softly and affectionately before carrying her back to Liu Yee's house. "I know you probably can't hear me… but I really love you…"

* * *

**Well... that was quite an eventful chapter. **

**I know that that thing with Fumiko fixing Melody thing seems pretty random, but it will play a part in later chapters, so don't overlook it just yet. :D**

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. Day 11: Rising Unease

**Well... school is starting very, VERY soon (aka, tomorrow), and so here's my last update of the summer. 'Cause the next time I update, it will no longer be summer vaca. -sigh-**

**well... this is a shorter chapter, but it sets up for the deeper plot within. :D**

**So... for now, please enjoy!**

**PLEASE R&R! **

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Day 11 – Rising Unease

Fumiko woke up in her bed, inhaling deeply as she felt completely refreshed. She had had a good night's sleep, though she didn't recall climbing into bed. Getting up, she found herself still dressed in yesterday's clothes.

_Hmmm… I must have passed out from exhaustion,_ she thought. _Well… gotta go get a shower before heading off to school. Need a fresh start to a new day._

As she got her clothes to head into the bathroom, she couldn't help but glance at the silver bracelet on her wrist, knowing a matching one sat on Atsuki's.

"It's been a while since that mind's tried to invade mine…" she wondered out loud. "Strange… maybe I'll get Natsuki to check on that later… I wonder what's going on?"

xXx

After cleaning herself up, showering, drying her hair and making herself look presentable, she walked out to find Liu Yee sitting at the table, hands folded as he looked straight at her as if he was expecting her.

"I'm glad to see that you seem to be doing well," he greeted.

She smiled. "Thanks to you and Atsuki," she replied. "So… did FORT call yet this morning?"

He nodded, relaxing himself as he unfolded his hands. "They wanted to do a check-up on you," he explained. "I told them that you seemed to be doing just fine after Atsuki carried you home last night. He told me about your unfortunate run-in with an attacker."

Fumiko looked away, not wanting to meet the Sweeper's accusing glare. "U-Uh… did he now?" she queried innocently. "Well… we're both fine, so I guess it's all good."

"You get into a lot of trouble a lot, don't you, Fumiko…" he guessed.

She nodded. "Comes with both the job as a CIA agent and an agent of FORT," she responded. "Can't really help it. Or else I need to go under the grid for a while."

"Well… Nola told me to tell you that she'd brief Atsuki about everything, and that he'll brief you about it later," he informed her, "But she _did_ tell me to tell you to continue watching out for Silent and make sure there's no serious problems in Kisaragi. Another thing, Atsuki _also_ told me about your little 'Silent fixing' experience. Would you please care to explain?"

"Umm…" she began unsurely. "How do I put this? It's kinda like I sense a Silent that can't be erased before it's kind of… uh… how do I put this in words… scrambled? Distorted? Something like that. Anyway, I just used Σ to 'fix' the Silent back into its proper form before I can properly erase it."

His expression was a mix between interest and intrigue. "Well… I'll report that back to FORT and see what they say about it," he said. "I would like to ask you more about it now, but you'd better get going to school before you're late. You have money to grab breakfast on the way, right?"

She nodded, heading back into her room to quickly grab her schoolbag. "Okay, I'll see you later, Liu," she bid before slipping on her shoes and heading out the door.

xXx

"Good morning, Atsuki!" Yayoi greeted.

"Good morning," he replied.

Her kind and warm expression turned a little worried. "You went to visit Kasugazaki yesterday after school, right?" she implored. "Is she okay?"

Atsuki nodded. "She's a lot better, and she's recovered completely," he answered. "Don't worry, Yayoi. She's coming back to school today."

Yayoi sighed in relief. "That's good to hear," she said, looking away shyly all of a sudden. "Um… I was wondering if I can speak to you privately later after school."

He blinked. "Sure, Yayoi," he responded.

Her Shinen beamed with happiness. "Okay! I'll meet you here at the quad after school then! I have something important I want to tell you!" she cheered. "I'll see you later, Atsuki!"

Before he had the chance to use Σ, she had run off. He blinked, trying to process what had just occurred, but suddenly his phone rang.

"Hey Atsuki? It's Fumiko," she greeted.

"Ah, hey," he replied. "What's up?"

"I know this may be a little short notice, but I need you to come meet me in front of AMS Bank in Area 2," she said nervously, unease in her voice. "There's something here that just doesn't seem right… and a Residual Shinen that I read just raises more suspicions…"

Atsuki bit his lip. "Okay, I'm coming right now," he replied. "Be careful."

"Okay," she responded, "see you soon."

As they both hung up, Atsuki began to head out the gate, but was stopped by Mika and Rui.

"Hey Atsuki," they greeted simultaneously.

"Where are you going?" Mika implored. "Class is going to start pretty soon, and you don't want Ms. Aoi to think you're going to be tardy."

He looked at them. "I have some errands to run," he replied. "Yeah, can you tell Ms. Aoi that I'm going to be late? Hopefully they're going to be quick, but I don't know. Anyway, I'll see you guys later."

xXx

Fumiko looked around the place, feeling growing unease creep up on her. Though the area was empty, Fumiko had read a dark lingering Shinen by the bank, and something just didn't seem right at all.

Without warning, a strong breeze blew by before slowing down, and a note had blown before Fumiko's feet.

Picking it up, she opened it and looked at it. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What is this?" she breathed.

The note read:

xXx

_I know who you are…CIA Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki. You should watch your back._ _I know you, but you wouldn't remember me. Obviously I'm also CIA… or at least… that's what those fools think._

xXx

"Who sent this?" she demanded out loud, looking around the premises. There was no way this was a coincidence. _Someone_ had sent this note to her."Dammit! Reveal yourself!"

But there was no answer. Fumiko thought she saw something move, and ran after it for a moment before feeling that nothing was there… at least, not anymore.

"Damn…" she growled. _This isn't good,_ she added silently. _How does this person know me and why? It's obvious that this is a threat. What do they want from me? Oh man… maybe I should talk with Adrian and Alex about this later. But then again… I don't want to endanger them. This person's after me and me alone._

"Hey Fumiko, are you alright?" Atsuki's voice startled her, and she turned around suddenly, meeting his concerned black eyes.

"Ah, sorry," she replied, calming down. "I'm fine."

He didn't look very convinced. "When I got here your Shinen was blazing red with anger. Don't tell me that you're alright, cause it's obvious that you're not," he reasoned logically.

Fumiko sighed, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. Rather… show you." She handed him a note. "I don't think this note just _happened_ to have blown at my feet. Someone's hunting me."

His eyes widened at the note. "Who would come all the way to Kisaragi to hunt you down? You already left the CIA before joining FORT," he told her quietly as he handed the note back. "Why now?"

"That's what I want to know," she replied in a hiss, folding the note and tucking it in her pocket. "I know it can't be Alex nor Adrian, because we've both already read their Shinen and their intentions, and I would trust those two with my life."

Atsuki nodded. "I agree," he said. "Was there anyone in the CIA that never liked you?"

She shook her head. "I don't _think_ so," she responded with a sigh. "I couldn't use Σ back then, so it was more harder to read people than it is now. Argh, I don't know! However, if that were the case, then I'd probably be on a plane back to DC to check whether anyone is targeting me. But since I'm with FORT now and our mission is here, I'll just use the resources I have and try to figure things out on my own."

Fumiko looked really discouraged, and Atsuki felt powerless to do anything. So he decided to change the subject.

"So what was the weird sensation that you felt when you called me?" he implored.

"Ah yes," she replied, her Shinen changing with the new topic. "The Residual Shinen is over here." She pulled him by the arm over to where she had read the Shinen. "Take a look."

Activating Σ, he reads the Shinen.

_Damn CIA agent…ruining my plans… postpone KC invasion… this is far from over…you will pay… _Fumiko Kasugazaki_… you will pay dearly…I will ensure it…pay dearly… pain… suffering… death… leave…_

Fumiko looked away as Atsuki finished reading the Residual Shinen. "Honestly… I'm worried…" she said softly. "Why me? Why _now_, of all times? And what the hell is with a KC invasion? Obviously KC stands for Kisaragi City, but who would want to invade Kisaragi and _why_? Argh!"

"Fumiko…" he began gently, but then stopped. He realized there wasn't much that he could say to cheer her up, and he could feel her rising Shinen of unease, worry, sadness, stress, and great irritation.

"Atsuki… I think perhaps I'm just going to do a stakeout around town," she sighed depressingly. "I think that I'd be a little too distracted from classes, and I don't wanna cause trouble and worry everyone again."

He blinked. "But it's not like you need to pay attention in class," he reasoned, "you've already learned all the material you need with the CIA, right?"

She nodded. "Including learning 6 different languages. Ugh…" She groaned at the memory before laughing, her Shinen brightening. "Thanks Atsuki. I feel a little better now. By the way, just to make sure I wasn't rude or anything, but I didn't interrupt you during a conversation when I called, right?"

Atsuki shook his head. "Nah," he assured. "In fact, Yayoi had just run off cheerfully after talking with me."

Fumiko was curious at Yayoi's progress at confessing, and decided to pry a little further while feigning innocent. "Oh? And why would that be?"

"Nothing of great urgency," he responded. "All she asked was to meet with me after school because she wanted to tell me something important."

She nodded slowly, secretly biting her lip as her heart ached. She was deeply in love with Atsuki, and she knew her heart would break if he accepted Yayoi's confession.

_Maybe it's for the better…_ Fumiko thought negatively. _I wouldn't want to place Atsuki in danger with my lingering CIA troubles._

"So… what are you going to do now, Fumiko?" Atsuki implored curiously. "Head with me back to Kisaragi School for class, or take a lonely wander around town for a few hours."

Fumiko blinked in contemplation. "Maybe you're right Atsuki, I can head back to school and not necessarily have to pay attention. Maybe the company will cheer me up," she tried to reason with herself. "But I can't wait for you after school though. I-I think I'll head back to Liu's place for a while. After your chat with Yayoi, if you want, you can go find me there and we'll start searching for clues."

_That way, I won't have to receive bad news that quickly…_ she thought with a sigh.

"Fumiko?" he addressed worriedly.

"Yeah, coming," she replied. "But… before we head back to school, I want to head over to Basket O' Breads for a moment. One, because I need to buy myself a little breakfast since I ran out over here after sensing something; two, I need to talk with Adrian and Alex about this. So you go on ahead back to school."

He shook his head. "I'll come with you," Atsuki offered, and she smiled.

"Thanks, Atsuki," she replied, and they headed off back to Area 7 to see their CIA friends.

* * *

**Well... I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**Good luck back to school, everyone (who is still IN school, at least. lol.)!**

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	16. What to do

**Well... here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: What to do...

Fumiko seemed a little depressed even as she and Atsuki headed to Basket O' Breads in Area 7. Atsuki knew that she had a lot on her mind, and it was really getting her down. But he didn't know what quite to say. How was he to cheer someone up who was being targeted by so many people? First there was the mind that was trying to infiltrate hers; second was that Tetsuya Jigarashi guy from AMS Bank; and now thirdly there was a CIA agent who was after her.

She sighed quietly, but Atsuki heard it.

"Awww… it'll be alright, Fumiko," he tried to reassure her. "Cheer up."

Fumiko tried to be happier, but… her Shinen didn't show it. She was really depressed over this. She looked at him, and sadness and deep sorrow reflected in her eyes.

"Fumiko?" Atsuki addressed worriedly, but she didn't reply, lost in her sadness.

They arrived at Basket O' Breads, and Fumiko pushed open the door, and Adrian looked up at her.

"Fumiko? Atsuki? What are you guys doing here? Don't you guys have classes?" he implored.

"Adrian, where's Alex? I need to speak with you two privately," she replied sternly in a monotone.

Blinking, he whistled, and Alex came out from the back, a tall young woman following behind him with light brown hair and light green eyes.

"Adrian, what have I told you about calling me like a dog?" Alex sighed depressingly. Then he looked at Fumiko. "Eh? What are you doing here?"

"Hey Fumiko," the woman greeted.

Fumiko's eyes widened. "Ayumi Tachibana?" she breathed. "What are you doing here? When did you get here?"

"Just yesterday," she responded. "It's good to see you again too, Fumiko."

Adrian looked at the confused Atsuki. "Ayumi's my girlfriend, and she's also in the CIA with us," he explained. "That's how we met, actually." He looked back at Ayumi. "Ayumi, this is Atsuki Saijo, a childhood friend of Fumiko's. He knows about us being CIA."

"Ah," she said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Atsuki."

Alex stared at Fumiko, knowing that something was wrong. "Fumiko, what's the matter?" he implored.

Turning back to lock the door and turn the sign around to note that the bakery was closed, she looked back gravely at them. "Can we talk somewhere a little more private? This can't be heard by anyone else…"

Adrian blinked. "Uh yeah, sure. We have an empty storage room that we use as our base of operations," he replied. "It's soundproof and no one can track it."

They headed to the back, where they entered the room of various gadgets and gizmos on a bulletproof glass rack against the wall, the wall next to it being covered with computers and technology. In the middle of the dark, grey-walled room was a rectangular wooden table, with four chairs sitting around it.

"Take a seat, you guys," Alex insisted as he pulled up his computer chair to the desk.

The three senior CIA agents looked at Fumiko and Atsuki.

"So… what is it?" Adrian implored.

Fumiko pulled out the note and placed it on the table. "_This_ just happened to blow at my feet this moment on the way to school," she told them. "Someone's hunting me."

"What?" all three of them gasped, staring at the note.

Immediately after they had received the news, Atsuki read their Shinen to see whether any of them actually _weren't_ surprised by this news. But all three of them were very surprised, concluding to him that none of the three were responsible for threatening Fumiko.

"Why would someone be after you?" Ayumi demanded. "Especially from the CIA!"

"You're only a little girl!" Adrian blurted out unintentionally, and everyone in the room stared at him, and Fumiko was glaring. "Uh… sorry… you're not a little girl."

Alex's gaze looked worried. "But why would anyone from the CIA be after you?" he muttered. "I hope you don't think it's one of us. You know we'd never threaten you like this."

Fumiko nodded in agreement. "I'd trust the three of you with my life," she agreed. "I know that you three have been closer to the other agents than me because of your years of experience with them, so do you know any of them that would hold a grudge against me or anything?"

The three CIA agents remained silent as they thought hard. Then they shook their heads.

"I can't think of anyone," Adrian said.

"Me neither," Alex and Ayumi agreed grimly.

Fumiko's eyes dimmed as she lowered her head slightly in her added depression.

"Don't worry, Fumiko," Ayumi assured confidently. "Whoever this person is, we'll be sure to hunt them down."

Alex and Adrian nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime," Alex said, twirling in his chair back towards the computers, "I'll go do a background check on all agents from since you joined the CIA. If there's someone suspicious, we'll let you know."

Fumiko sighed, looking back up at her colleagues. "Sounds good," she replied. "You all know how to contact me. For now, Atsuki and I are heading back to school."

"Okay," Adrian said. "Should I escort the both of you there just in case?"

She shook her head. "I can still take care of myself," she retorted with a soft but sad smile, "and I can protect Atsuki if I need to. Well… we'll see you later then. Thanks for your help guys. Hey, I'm gonna grab a couple of croissants on the way out, 'kay? I'll leave the money on the countertop."

"Don't worry about it," Ayumi said. "You're going through a lot. It'll be our hopefully-things-get-better gift. Leave the sign as 'closed' because we'll be back here investigating what we can."

She nodded in thanks before leaving the room, Atsuki biding his farewell as he followed her.

Fumiko grabbed a bag and tossed in one croissant as she bit down on the edge of the other, unlocking the store door and leaving. Atsuki followed after her.

"Hey Fumiko," he addressed, trying to get her attention, but she didn't respond, still on a quick pace towards Kisaragi School, "Fumiko!"

She looked at him as she ripped off a piece of the croissant with her teeth, chewing on it. "What is it?" she replied after swallowing. "You know I'm not really in the mood."

"I know," he said. "But don't worry about it, okay? I'll talk back with HQ and see what Chief Ray wants to do. I'm pretty sure he'll know what to do."

She looked at him. "I'm pretty sure I know what he's gonna do," she said quietly with a sigh. "I'm probably going underground for a while… and I mean a _long_ while. I need to completely disappear. So I'll probably be brought back to HQ."

"We don't know that for sure," he replied. "Just trust him, and I'm sure that he'll make the right decision. I'll do everything I can to help, you know that."

Fumiko looked at him and smiled sadly, reaching up to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I know you will," she said. "Thank you."

"By the way," he said, "out of pure curiosity, are you and Hibiki going out?"

She blinked before shaking her head. "There's someone else I like," she responded. "I'll admit that Hibiki confessed, but I said no."

"Ohh…" he trailed off. Mentally though, he sighed. _Awww… what are the chances that the person she likes is me?_ He wondered. _Probably slim to none…_

"Let's go, Atsuki," she told him gently. "I'm sure Ms. Matsumura won't appreciate it if we're late for her class again."

xXx

They arrived at the quad, and Fumiko looked at Atsuki.

"Wait," she said. "You go on in first. I'll go in after 5 minutes or so. We don't want Ms. Matsumura to panic if we're entering the classroom together and _late_ too. Might give her the wrong idea." She laughed, the sound pure and merry. "I'll head to the café to finish eating breakfast. I'll be there once I'm done."

He nodded. "Okay, I'll see you in class," he said before they split up.

xXx

Fumiko sighed as she sat down at a café table, pulling out a small notebook-sized laptop, flipping it open as she took another bite out of her first croissant. In truth, her standard-issue travel laptop was given to her by the CIA, and she could have access to the agency files from it. Since there was no one else at the time, she pulled out a little round device from her bag and turned it on. In fact, the device was actually a special sonic disrupter device that could disrupt all ingoing and outgoing signals within the entire building and hide her own search through the agency database as well, protecting herself.

Looking around, she put on her headset and turned on the computer that only _she_ had access to. Logging onto the CIA main database, she did a brief background check of her two years with the agency, and did a quick background search of all the agents she had worked with and encountered.

_Damn… still no luck with the search…_ she thought in deep irritation, closing the laptop with a sigh as she removed the headset, finishing the croissant she was eating. _This is terrible…_

Fumiko closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before putting the laptop back into her bag, turning off her sonic disrupter device. She was even more depressed that she realized she was, but she didn't know _why_ she was so depressed. She knew she could handle a couple of assassins...

_Choose death… Fumiko…_ a voice whispered in her head in _her_ voice. _Choose that sweet release… you have the equipment… and you can do anything to give yourself that sweet release… free of pain… free of agony… free of worry…_

Fumiko shook her head, shaking off the voice that echoed in her mind. _I've never thought of suicide as a release before…_ she wondered. _Hmm… something must be wrong with me today. I'd never do that. Weird… Could it be Silent? Well… I'll have to check that out later too. _

She sighed, "Another thing to put on my to-do list. Ah well… time to head to the classroom before I get scolded for being even _more_ late."

Leaving the café, she ran over to the classroom, sliding open the door and all eyes turned to her.

"Thank you for finally joining us, Fumiko," Aoi commented.

"Sorry, Ms. Matsumura," she responded as she headed towards her seat next to Atsuki. "I kinda slept in accidentally."

Her teacher's seemingly peeved face turned into a smile. "Well… I can't really blame you. I heard you had a severe fever yesterday," she said gently. "How are you feeling today?"

"Much better, thank you," Fumiko replied.

Aoi nodded. "Now please take your seat and we will continue with our lesson."

Fumiko smiled as she pulled out her books, meeting Atsuki's concerned expression with an assuring smile.

"I'll be alright," she murmured to him softly.

Before he could reply, she had leaned away out of whisper range, and Atsuki gently bit his lower lip in worry.

_I could sense a large suicidal Shinen in the café,_ Atsuki thought, _but Fumiko wouldn't be it… would she? _He hoped hard in his heart that she wasn't.

xXx

Fumiko sighed tiredly, putting away her books after all classes were finally over and it was time for everyone to go home.

"Hey Fumiko," Atsuki said, looking at her. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

She blinked, noticing the worried Shinen around him. "What is it, Atsuki?"

He waited as everyone left the classroom. Then he looked at her. "You were in the café this morning, right?" he implored.

She nodded. "Yeah," she responded, "I was doing a little background search on my own."

Atsuki bit his inner lip. "Were you… _alone_ in the café?" he pried.

"Yeah," Fumiko answered without hesitation. "If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have done my own private search through HQ base."

"Fumiko…" he said gently. "I-I'm worried about you."

"Why?" she inquired curiously.

He gazed deeply into her eyes. "This morning, I sensed one particular large Shinen in the café," he said. "It was a large suicidal Shinen."

"And you think…" Her eyes widened with shock. "what? You think that the source is me?"

"You just said that you were the only one in the café at the time," Atsuki tried to reason. "And with everything that's happened to you, I guess I don't blame you."

Fumiko shook her head abruptly. "N-No, you've got it all wrong," she protested quickly. "I'll admit that I felt some strange feeling arise that felt a little suicidal, but I'm pretty sure it's nothing. I'll check it out with FORT later. In the meantime, you should go meet Yayoi. I'm heading back to Liu's to continue conducting a little research, not to mention try to absorb all this in."

Before he could properly protest, Fumiko had already disappeared out of the classroom, leaving him alone.

"Damn…" he breathed, packing up all his things. "Okay, head to the quad and talk to Yayoi, then head over and talk with Liu about Fumiko."

xXx

"So… Yayoi, what do you want to talk about?" Atsuki implored curiously as they met up in the quad.

A dark blush tainted her cheeks, and she looked away shyly. "Well… um… I really just… I just wanted to tell you…" she stammered nervously. "I just wanted to tell you… that um… I really admire you, Atsuki. Every time I look into your eyes, the world around me seems a little brighter."

Atsuki knew that it was because he had finished erasing a Silent or clearing away bad Shinen from her. That was common with everyone else he had ever met before too.

"I don't know how, but things have been a lot more peaceful since you came to Kisaragi," she continued. "What I'm really trying to say, Atsuki… is that I'm in love with you."

The FORT agent's eyes widened at the sudden confession.

Atsuki blinked. "Yayoi…" he said gently, "I'm flattered by your confession, really. But… I'm sorry, I'm in love with someone else."

Her eyes were downcast as her Shinen shimmered with sadness. "I-I admit I kinda thought you were in love with someone else… but… I just wanted to let you know. The girl that you like… it's Fumiko… isn't it…"

He bit his lip as he blushed, nodding. "Yes," he admitted. "I love Fumiko."

"But you haven't told her yet, have you?" Yayoi guessed, meeting his eyes. "You should tell her, Atsuki. Not to sound nosey or anything, but maybe it was the reason why you two broke up. I think she really loves you too."

"I don't know… maybe I should talk about it with her sometimes then…" he sighed. "But really, Yayoi, I'm flattered by your confession. But I'm afraid I love Fumiko, so I can't accept your feelings."

She laughed, "Don't worry about it too much, Atsuki. I already kinda guessed your answer. But I thought I'd just let you know how I feel, in case you should ever reciprocate my feelings."

He nodded. "I appreciate it Yayoi," he responded. "Thanks."

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Yayoi said, and he dipped his head before she ran off, waving goodbye.

Atsuki felt a powerful rise in his chest. He really felt the urge to tell Fumiko how much he loved her. He wanted to tell her everything, and wanted to protect her from anything and anyone that wanted to harm her.

"Fumiko, wait for me," Atsuki murmured, heading over towards Liu Yee's apartment.

Without warning, a dark Shinen filled with sorrow and grief began to rise from Area 1, and Atsuki's phone rang.

"Atsuki!" Nola exclaimed, "Please hurry! There's a growing Shinen of incalculable darkness coming from Area 1! It's coming strongly from Liu's apartment! And Liu's phone isn't on! And Fumiko isn't answering! Hurry, Atsuki!"

Immediately after they hung up, Atsuki ran off as fast as he could, hoping that he only wasn't too late.

* * *

**OMG! HURRY ATSUKI! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? FIND OUT NEXT TIME! lol**

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	17. Deadly Adversary

**Here's the dramatic next chapter! **

**HOPE YOU LIKE IT!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Deadly Adversary

Fumiko lay on her bed in her room, while Liu was outside sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for the kettle to boil while reading over some files.

She sighed heavily. "This is bad…" she muttered to herself, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm feeling more suicidal by the second. Is something wrong with me? Or am I just _really_ depressed by all the bad news I've been receiving these days."

Through the door, she could hear the kettle whistle loudly before Liu removed it from the stove, preparing some tea.

"Well… may as well go join Liu for tea," Fumiko determined.

Without warning, a golden hue overtook the azure blue in her eyes, and they fell close, her body suddenly being taken into a coma-like state into the dark retreat of her mind… where she was met with a dark, unrelenting force.

Liu knocked on her door. "Hey, Fumiko, can I come in?" When he didn't hear a reply, he opened to the door to find her lying on her bed. "Hey, Fumiko?" She didn't reply, and he sensed a sharp disturbance in her mind, rushing over by her side.

"Fumiko, are you awake? Hey, wake up," he told her, shaking her by the shoulder.

She still didn't respond, and he shouted at her now, trying to awaken her, but she wouldn't wake. Did something happen to her while he was in the kitchen? Pulling out his cell phone, he called FORT.

"Liu! Is everything alright? Where's Fumiko?" Nola demanded panically. "And dammit, keep your phone on!"

Ignoring her scolding, he continued explaining. "Fumiko's fallen into a coma-like state; she won't respond to anything I say or do. She's become unresponsive, and I'm positive it's not something a common doctor can fix," Liu informed.

She took in a deep breath. "Atsuki's on his way already. Natsuki said that she thinks that she sensed a dark Silent within Fumiko, so be careful around her. Meanwhile, for now, keep trying to wake her up. I'll have a small PICUS team sent, if you want."

"No," Liu Yee replied, "it's fine. I'll do what I can until Atsuki arrives." Hanging up, he placed a hand on Fumiko's forehead, seeing whether she had a fever; but she had none. He wasn't able to read Shinen like Atsuki, so he could enter her mind to try and see what's wrong. The only thing he could do was do 'Σ Erase', therefore crushing the mind of whoever he chose.

"Hmm… no fever," he muttered, "no signs of any possibly sickness… except heartsickness… but I suspect there's nothing that can be done until that girl admits to Atsuki. This _must_ be the work of a Silent. That dense idiot… he doesn't even realize what pain he's putting Fumiko through…"

Very suddenly, Fumiko's breath and heart stopped, and Liu was alarmed, positioning his hands to begin giving her compressions.

"Come on, Fumiko," he urged, pushing down hard, "don't give up. Dammit it, Saijo, where the hell are you when the girl that loves you needs you?"

xXx

Hurriedly, Atsuki ran as fast as he could towards Liu Yee's apartment, his eyes narrowed in determination. A Silent was infecting the girl he was deeply in love with, and unless he did something, she was going to die. He knew that she was already unwell, so he worried that she wasn't going to be able to fight off the Silent before he arrived.

"Come on, Fumiko, hold on," Atsuki murmured. "I'll be there soon. Dammit, I should have never let her leave alone in the first place."

As he ran, he pulled out his cell phone, calling FORT through his speed-dial.

"Nola, what's the situation now?" he demanded.

She sighed, "Not good, Atsuki. I'm afraid that Natsuki sensed that Fumiko's Shinen is slowly beginning to vanish, and an eerie death Shinen is beginning to grow around Liu's apartment. We're running out of time. That Silent is really affecting her bad. You _have_ to hurry, Atsuki, she doesn't have much time left. She's losing the battle against the Silent within her, and it's even harder for her to focus because the victim is herself."

His hand tightened around the phone. "I will, what's Liu Yee doing to help?"

"I don't know. He didn't answer when I tried to call," she told him. "The situation must be serious. Please hurry, Atsuki. You have to save her."

Hanging up his phone, he began to run faster, and he needed her to live. Desperation shone in his shining black eyes, and soon… he found himself at Liu Yee's apartment door, knocking furiously.

"Atsuki, get in here!" Liu's deep voice barked, and he hurried in, closing the door after him. "I need your help!"

Immediately, the 17-year-old ran towards the sound and found himself in the room, watching as Liu Yee was continuingly giving chest compressions to Fumiko's motionless body.

"Fumiko!" Atsuki exclaimed in horror, running over. "Fumiko! Wake up, Fumiko!"

"She won't wake," Liu told him, still keeping his rhythm. "I need to keep the blood going and pumping through her heart. Hurry, use Σ to dive into her mind and erase the Silent. I can't do this forever, you know."

Immediately, Atsuki activated his Lux-Pain and used Σ to dive into her mind, where it turns out he was going to be taken into an entirely different world than he thought.

xXx

"Where am I?" Atsuki wondered, looking around at the empty, foggy landscape. He noticed that his Lux-Pain was still activated, and knew that this leap into Fumiko's mind was beyond anything he had ever experienced. "This is really strange… but… where's the Silent? And Fumiko? She'd be here somewhere fighting off Silent, wouldn't she?"

Feeling his atmosphere, he could sense the Silent, and began to walk towards it, deeper into the fog. He could see a light up ahead, and walked to find himself by the Yuhigaoka House, in the playground. For a moment, Atsuki saw Yayoi sitting on the swing like she had before while she was infected with Silent.

"Yayoi?" Atsuki exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing here?"

The redhead looked up at him, and her image faded to reveal it to be Fumiko, her smile sad. Ice had crept up from the ground and covered her entire back already, as well as her hands, now frozen to the chains of the swing. "I see… so you _have_ chosen," she said quietly in a sad voice. The ice began to expand and cover over Fumiko's shoulders.

"Fumiko!" Atsuki exclaimed in fear, running over to scrabble fruitlessly at the ice crawling on his crush's body.

She smirked, a darkness rising from her body, swirling into a sharp, huge shadow with claws and narrow yellow eyes and dark purplish mouth.

_"That's right, Fumiko… listen to the darkness,"_ the Silent urged in a dark, deep voice. _"He doesn't need you… he doesn't want you…"_

Fumiko shook her head before Atsuki spoke. "I agree that he doesn't _need_ me, but I _can_ say that he _does_ want me to be a part of his life," she argued, which Atsuki found surprising. Silent infectees normally wouldn't be able to argue with the Silent infecting them. "He _does_ still want me in his life, because I'm all that he has left of his past to live with. In his eyes… I am only but a childhood friend of one who has lost so much…"

_"But that's all you are to him,"_ the Silent continued. _"Just a friend,_ nothing more."

She sighed, a weak smile tugging on the corner of her lips. "Well… in the end, as long as Atsuki is happy, I guess that's all that really matters." A single tear fell from her eyes and onto the ground, and when her eyes closed, the ice crept over Fumiko's body and encased her in an ice tomb.

"Fumiko! FUMIKO!" Atsuki cried, trying to break the ice, but finding his efforts wasted. The Silent laughed.

_"You fool,"_ it cackled. _"Because of _you_ I was able to enter Fumiko's heart and mind. Because of _you_ I've been eating her inside out for the past week! Look how she is _now_! Where is her precious __boy __when she needs him the most?"_

Tears pricked Atsuki's eyes as he stared at Fumiko's face behind the ice. The beautiful young woman he had fallen in love with was lost in heartache for him, and now he regretted all the times he didn't dare to tell her that he loved her. He would have told her over and over again that he loved her if he knew that _this_ was coming.

"So _you_ were the one who caused Fumiko to fall into a fever!" Atsuki guessed, glaring at the Silent angrily.

The shadow laughed, _"But of course! In her moments of weakness, I took advantage of her and she was injured as the result. Such a pathetic girl." _

"You're wrong!" he argued. "Fumiko hasn't ever and _will_ never be pathetic! She's a strong, caring, beautiful young woman."

The shadow smirked, gesturing with a claw to Fumiko's frozen form. _"She's not very strong, after all, _I_ managed to infect her,"_ it replied simply. _"Unless she awakens within the next ten minutes, she'll die, and _I_ will be the victor!" _

"How come that FORT doctor couldn't detect you when he was inspecting Fumiko's mind?" Atsuki demanded.

_"Easy,"_ the Silent replied, _"I disguised myself as Fumiko's darkest memories in her heart. All I would appear to be is just bad Shinen of the past that can't be erased."_

"Then you should be able to tell me," he said, "why was Fumiko so depressed since she got here?"

_"Because she knew that Yayoi Kamishiro was in love with you,"_ the Silent explained, _"and she felt guilty that you two were playing girlfriend/boyfriend, therefore cutting off her chances of confessing to you. Ah… young love… so easy to target, and so Fumiko became my perfect hostess. Her heart has secretly feared that she was falling in love with you, because she knew that it was unfair. Why else did she break apart your fake relationship act?_

"Dammit, Fumiko," he hissed in frustration. "So all those times that she kept pushing me towards Yayoi… was to allow Yayoi some times to confess?"

The evil shadow cackled. _"Finally you figure it out, you slow boy,"_ it mocked. _"But alas… due to Yayoi being the shy girl she is… it just fed Fumiko's anxiety, and led her to _this_ pitiful state before death."_

"No," Atsuki retorted arguably. "Fumiko's not going to die. I won't allow that to happen!"

_"Try all you will, nothing will help,"_ the Silent laughed. _"Your normal powers won't help you _here_."_

The silver-haired student realized that the Silent was correct. Using his normal Σ ability proved to be useless, considering that using it in itself had gotten him here into Fumiko's true heart.

_Damn,_ Atsuki thought. _I have to do something to stop this madness before it's too late._

"You're going to pay," he promised the Silent, "for every single thing that you've done to Fumiko!" Focusing into his Lux-Pain, a strange sword smoked into his hand, the weapon itself constructed with black and silver smoke. "Die, Silent!"

Atsuki swung the light weapon, and the smoke cut against the shadow Silent, white lines of where Atsuki had impacted remaining on the creature as it hissed, reaching with its sharp claws in retaliation. But the claws didn't reach him, as an invisible shield around Atsuki's entire body protected him, and the Silent was easily destroyed due to being unable to harm even a hair on the FORT agent's head.

"Grah!" Atsuki cried, finishing the Silent off with one more angered slice through its middle, the shadow disappearing with a shrill shriek.

Breathing hard, Atsuki let the moment sink in that the Silent had been eradicated. He sighed in relief, turning to the ice prison that Fumiko was captured in.

"Fumiko…" he said quietly, before cleaning making a single slash into the ice with his unique blade before it vanished, and the ice cracked before shattering.

Fumiko's body slumped forward out of the swing, and he swept in to catch her cold body in his arms, holding her tightly.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his arms tightening around her, "if I had any idea that this was going to happen, I would have told you something a long time ago." His black eyes peered at her face, burning the image of her beautiful complexion into his mind. "I love you," he whispered, leaning to kiss her.

As his lips brushed hers, the surroundings faded into black, and Fumiko vanished in Atsuki's arms. Atsuki closed his eyes in deep focus before he opened his eyes…

… finding himself in Liu Yee's apartment once more, laying next to Fumiko's motionless body on the large mattress. Liu Yee was not in the room.

Atsuki grabbed Fumiko by the shoulders and began shaking her. "Fumiko, Fumiko, wake up."

But she didn't stir, and Atsuki began to panic, trying to find her Shinen, but he couldn't sense it. Even though Atsuki could not sense any Death Shinen, tears began to fall from his eyes as fear struck him. Weeping, he lowered his head against her and buried his face into her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her. The tears stopped flowing from his eyes, as no more tears could come. His cold heart from diving into so many Shinen had prevented tears from falling, and the warmth of his love for Fumiko had brought out the last tears.

_This can't be happening,_ he thought, _it just can't._

Without warning, he felt a warm, gentle hand rest on the back of his head in a cradle. Pulling back, his black eyes widened as he saw Fumiko weakly staring back at him.

"F-Fumiko?" he breathed in awe.

"Atsuki," she said softly, "thank you. You saved my life."

He moved his head so his face just hovered over hers. "Fumiko, I… I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too Atsuki," she replied without hesitation. "I always have."

Very softly, he closed the gap between them and kissed her warm, soft lips.

Suddenly, the door opened as Atsuki pulled away, and Liu Yee stood there with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face.

"I'm pleased to see that the both of you are alright," he commented, giving a nod at Fumiko before looking at Atsuki. "It's about time you realized your mistake _and_ your stupidity."

Atsuki nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right," he agreed, hugging Fumiko against his chest, "I should have realized from the start that I truly loved Fumiko. I'll never make that mistake again."

"It's my fault I let the Silent get the better of me," Fumiko said. "I should have fought back."

The silver-haired teen shook his head. "It's my fault the Silent even targeted you in the first place," he argued. "I never meant for you to get hurt."

"I'm alright now," Fumiko argued, "and it's thanks to you."

Liu Yee looked at her. "Are you sure you're okay now, Fumiko?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine now, Liu," she reassured. "What did HQ say?"

"I was told to do what I could in the next few minutes. Then if I was unable to do anything, I was to call back and have a PICUS team come and assist," he explained, "but I suppose we should call and alert FORT that you're alright."

She nodded, grabbing her cell from her pocket, Atsuki's arms still wrapped around her. She dialled HQ's number and Nola picked up within the first couple of rings.

"Fumiko?" she gasped, "Is that you?"

"Yeah," she replied casually, "don't worry, I'm alright thanks to Atsuki."

She sighed in relief. "Liu told me what had happened. The rest of us here at FORT will be relieved to hear that we didn't lose an agent to Silent today."

"Thanks," Fumiko said. "We'll talk to you later and give you the full details then."

As both sides hung up, Atsuki kissed Fumiko on the cheek. "Will you come back to live with me?"

She nodded. "Of course," she replied, "that is… if it's okay with Liu."

Both teens looked at the Sweeper, and he grimaced.

"Well…" he began unsurely, "I'm a little unsure about you returning to live with an idiot like the one you love."

Fumiko sighed, looking at him. "So would that be a no?"

"Under the circumstances, if you were to be attacked by Silent again," Liu reasoned, mostly to himself, "I cannot help you, because my Σ power isn't the same as Atsuki's, so I'd have no chance of doing anything except call for backup, therefore, for _your_ sake, I will permit you to return to live with Atsuki."

Atsuki nuzzled his face against Fumiko's hair, but Liu grabbed him by the collar.

"But if you _ever_ hurt Fumiko ever again," he threatened, "I will personally see to it that you are properly punished. So never, _ever_ break Fumiko's heart."

"Rest assured," Atsuki assured gently, "I love Fumiko with all my heart and soul. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that she's never hurt again."

She chuckled, resting a hand on Liu's arm holding Atsuki. "It's alright, Liu," she assured. "Don't worry about it."

Reluctantly, Liu released Atsuki, but his expression looked like he still wanted to beat the teen up a little. But as his now-girlfriend was in the room, not to mention being a highly-trained, skilled CIA operative that also happened to be a close friend of his, he decided against it. But Liu Yee promised himself that if Fumiko ever got hurt and Atsuki could have prevented it, Atsuki was in for it… _big time._

Fumiko yawned tiredly.

"Someone looks like they need some beauty sleep," Liu teased. "Time for you to get some shut eye. You've had a long day."

She nodded. "I guess I'll move back tomorrow then," she said gently, laying back down against the bed.

"It's alright," Atsuki said, slipping his arms under her, lifting her into his arms. "I'll take you back."

"Gah! Atsuki!" she gasped, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Ugh," Liu Yee groaned distastefully. "Are you _sure_ you want to go back and live with this idiot, Fumiko?"

Fumiko nodded with a smile, pressing her cheek against Atsuki's shoulder as he held her. "He may be an idiot… but…" she paused for a moment in thought, "he's _my_ idiot."

Atsuki chuckled. "Nice to know I'm still an idiot though," he commented sarcastically as he let her back down.

She went to hug Liu Yee, throwing her arms around his neck as he hugged her back affectionately.

"Don't be afraid to call me if you need any help or anything," he whispered in her ear. "Take good care of yourself, Fumiko, and don't let Atsuki push you around."

Fumiko couldn't help but chuckle. "I think _I'm_ going to be pushing him around," she teased. "But yeah, don't worry, I'll call you if I need any help."

Atsuki took her suitcase, and Fumiko smiled at Liu.

"Well then, we'll be heading out now, Liu Yee," she told him, bowing, "thank you for putting up with me up till now."

He shook his head. "Not at all," he told her. "I'm glad to have you as a guest. Feel free to come back anytime if you want to get away from that idiot for awhile."

"'kay, sounds good," Fumiko replied. "Bye Liu!"

* * *

**Yay! Good work Atsuki!**

**But don't think the drama's over yet. Who is the mysterious CIA agent hunting down Fumiko? Not to mention... what happened to Tetsuya Jigarashi? **

**O_O**

**lolz.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	18. Talking With Friends

**Well... here's the next chapter, I hope you guys like it. Sorry for the delay. :D**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Talk with Friends

After Fumiko and Atsuki had returned back to Atsuki's apartment to drop Fumiko's stuff back, Atsuki decided to take Fumiko out for dinner.

"So… what do you feel like eating?" Atsuki implored.

Suddenly, they heard barking and they spied a large dog rushing towards them.

"Hey Melody, wait up!" Nami's voice could be heard from afar, and the little girl ran towards them. "Ah! Atsuki! Fumiko!"

She ran closer to them and tackled Fumiko into a huge hug, wrapping her arms around Fumiko's waist tightly.

"A-Ah," Fumiko gasped, unsure of what to do.

"Thank you so much!" Nami cried. "You brought Melody back to me!"

Melody barked in happiness beside them, and Fumiko gently returned the hug.

"Don't worry about it, Nami," she told her softly, patting her on the head. "I'm glad that Melody's all better. Atsuki explained to me everything, so don't worry about it. I'm happy that she's back to normal now."

Nami pulled away. "As gratitude, how about I take you both out to dinner?" she offered, "My treat!"

"You don't have to do that," Atsuki replied, "I was taking Fumiko out to dinner myself."

"No, no, really!" she insisted. "It's the least I can do for you both. You've both helped Kisaragi so much!"

"Not really," Fumiko said. "At least… _I_ haven't. I just got here a week ago. It's mostly thanks to Atsuki though."

Nami shook her head. "All of the animals have told me all the wonderful things you've done," she replied cheerfully. "And you fixed Melody!"

Melody rubbed her side against Fumiko's leg, and she kneeled down to pet the dog as she licked her face affectionately.

"Melody really likes you!" Nami said, "Come on, Atsuki, Fumiko! Let's go to Triple Step! My treat!"

xXx

When they arrived, Atsuki and Fumiko sat down while Nami went to order with Melody by her side.

"She's a sweet little girl," Fumiko commented with a smile. "Something tells me she's going to do great things when she grows up."

Atsuki chuckled. "I get the same feeling," he agreed.

"Atsuki?" Fumiko said gently, and he turned to look at her.

In that brief moment, she stole a quick kiss off his lips, causing his cheeks to be covered with a deep blush.

"Fumiko!" he scowled teasingly at her.

She giggled, "You're so shy, Atsuki, it's just a kiss. After all, I _am_ your girlfriend."

He scowled at her again as his cheeks cooled before Nami and Melody returned over to them with a tray of burgers, drinks, and fries.

"Wow… you bought a _lot_, Nami," Fumiko commented, her eyes widening.

"Well… Atsuki, it's not much, right?" she retorted, looking at the silver-haired teen. "After all, there was one time we both ate _three_ burgers, didn't we?"

He groaned at the memory. "Oh yeah, I was definitely _stuffed_ that day," he said. "I'm never doing that again."

Nami sat down, and she smiled widely at them. "So… the animals have told me that you two have started dating," she told them, and they both blushed, looking away, causing the little girl to laugh. "You don't have to hide it from me. The animals know already."

"Well… Atsuki and I didn't really start dating until just not that long ago," Fumiko informed her. "But in any case, how is your sister?"

"She's doing well," Nami replied. "Not much changes to her personality or anything. She must have taken it well. You must have also dealt with it really good too, Atsuki."

He blinked. "Uh yeah," he agreed. "In fact, she also pushed me to confess to Fumiko that I was in love with her. I suppose that if she didn't… maybe I wouldn't be able to _have_ Fumiko." _Because maybe I wouldn't make it in time to save her life,_ he added silently, suddenly realizing that if he hadn't have made it in time, Fumiko would have died.

Fumiko pat him on the head with a smile. "Awww… I love you too, Atsuki," she teased, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, let's eat!" Nami exclaimed, and they ate their burgers.

_I still have so much stuff to figure out,_ Fumiko thought as she ate. _Okay, first there's the strange force attacking my mind, which luckily has not occurred for a while. Next, there's Tetsuya Jigarashi, who is, unfortunately, _still_ on the loose. Now there is this _damn _supposed-CIA agent that's after me, and I was _just_ attacked and nearly _killed_ by Silent. Ugh… there's going to be a _long_ time before things smooth out in Kisaragi._

xXx

After they had finished, Nami and Melody bid their farewells to Atsuki and Fumiko, and the couple returned back to Atsuki's apartment.

"Okay," Fumiko determined after they walked through the door. "You go take a shower first, I'm going to do a little paperwork that I'll have to send into FORT later. I'm sure Nola would want the details for everything that has happened in the past day. One would be fact that I managed to fix a scrambled Silent within an _animal_, and the second would be that I _myself_ was infected by a Silent."

He nodded in understanding. "I won't take too long," he told her. "I'm pretty sure that Nola will give us a call sooner or later for a briefing and explanations."

She smiled, nodding in agreement. "We'll have to provide a good detailed explanation for her then," she responded.

As he went into the bathroom with a change of clothes, Fumiko turned on her computer and used Atsuki's wireless printer to print out two copies of the FORT paperwork template, and after that, she shut off her computer before clipping one copy onto a clipboard before starting to write her report.

About ten minutes later, Atsuki emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a clean white t-shirt and black pants, drying his wet silver hair with his towel.

"Hey Fumiko," he said, "your turn."

She sighed, looking rather depressed as she looked through her report so far.

"You worry me greatly," he murmured, walking over to sit down next to her on the couch. Giving her a soft kiss on the cheek, he smiled at her. "Take a break and go get a shower. You'll feel more refreshed."

Fumiko sighed, putting her clipboard down on the table, standing up and stretching. "Well… in the meantime you can start up on your report. I printed out a copy for you, and I'm sure that Nola would want the details."

"Sounds good," he agreed, and she smiled, heading into the bathroom.

Another ten minutes later, Fumiko came out of the bathroom in a white t-shirt and long blue pants.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little," she responded with a sigh. "I'm really tired though."

"I don't blame you," Atsuki said, setting his paperwork down as walked over to hug her against his chest, pressing her head against his shoulder. "I love you, Fumiko."

"I love you too," she murmured, and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before he closed the distance and kissed her, twining his fingers into her hair as he deepened the kiss.

"Hey hey, can you two please not get all mushy when we're going to be talking about something serious?" a voice sighed.

They both pulled away and looked at the TV screen, where Nola looked back at them from her desk.

"Don't you ever ring anymore, Nola?" Atsuki implored, glaring at the screen. "Well anyway, the mood's gone." Taking Fumiko's hand, he led her to the couch where they sat together, looking at the screen.

"Well… sorry about that. I didn't mean to do that," she apologized. "Anyway, so please give me your full report Atsuki. What happened when you entered Fumiko's mind?"

"Well… the Silent disguised Fumiko as Yayoi, because it was feeding off her jealousy and guilt," Atsuki explained. "In her depressed state, Fumiko was encased in ice, and I fought the Silent that looked like a shadow creature of sorts. Something weird happened, and Gawain glowed, transforming into a sort of sword made of smoke. After that it was so much easier to get rid of the Silent because I was able to hurt it."

Nola looked surprised. "That's amazing," she breathed. "Very weird, but you're very lucky to have a guy like Atsuki save you, Fumiko."

Fumiko smiled, rested her head on Atsuki's shoulder as her hand found his. "I know," she agreed. "I'm very lucky to have such a guy like Atsuki love me too."

Atsuki turned to give her a light kiss on the head, and she smiled, squeezing her hand tight.

"Oh… you guys are going to make me sick," Nola commented distastefully. "Can we please get through this briefing without me throwing up?"

Atsuki and Fumiko chuckled, and they nodded.

"Anyway, that's what happened and then I killed the Silent," Atsuki continued. "I was able to break Fumiko out of her ice prison, then I woke up back in Liu's apartment with Fumiko."

"Is my mind so different than anyone else's?" Fumiko implored worriedly. "Or does all FORT agents who are able to use Σ able to do that?"

Nola shrugged. "There have been no records of any cases like that," she informed, her fingers gliding over her keyboard as she placed a search of any strange cases like Fumiko's. "But how do you feel now, Fumiko?"

"I'm pretty okay," she replied honestly. "I'm still a little shaken about what happened, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to recover. And I know that Atsuki's going to be here by my side, so I'm not too worried."

Nola nodded in satisfaction. "That's good to hear," she said. "Well… I think that you both have had a pretty rough day, so I won't keep you both any longer. I'll call in again tomorrow morning to give you the day's briefing. Until then, sleep well tonight."

"Thanks, Nola," Atsuki said. "Night."

As the transmission ended, Fumiko exhaled deeply, closing her eyes.

"You must be tired," Atsuki said softly, reaching back to run his fingers through her hair. "Come, we both need some sleep tonight."

"I love you Atsuki," Fumiko sighed.

"Love you too, Fumiko," he whispered gently, and she twisted her head up to receive a sweet kiss from him, and he deepened the kiss by pressing one hand in her head tightly to keep her lips tight on his.

"Come on, let's get some sleep," Fumiko said, turning to lay down on the couch.

"What are you doing?" Atsuki implored in confusion.

"Going to sleep, what else?" she sighed in reply.

He shook his head. "Aren't you going to sleep in the bed?" he asked.

"Aren't _you_ sleeping in that bed?" Fumiko pointed out. "There _is_ only one bed. I'm not sure when the other one is coming in."

He shook his head with a smile. "But aren't you sleeping with me?" he implored, then blushed at what he had just said, and Fumiko blushed instantly at his words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like _that_. You know what I mean, right? Sleeping with my heartbeat next to yours?"

The girl nodded, then she walked over to the bed as he turned off the lights while she flicked on the bedside lamp. Very gently, Atsuki kissed Fumiko, and they softly made out before Atsuki laid her down on the bed, crawling in next to her before turning off the lights and cuddling up next to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he kissed her again.

"I love you," Fumiko sighed, snuggling against his chest.

He hugged her tightly, kissing her on the top of her head as he held her close. "I love you too," he whispered. "Good night, Fumiko."

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter!**

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	19. Day 12: Plans and Disruptions

**GAH! It's been over a year since I've last touched this fanfic. Thought I'd at least update a new chapter sometime. Don't expect this to happen again for another while though. Enjoy!**

**PLEASE R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain (c) Killaware  
Claimer: Everything else (c) me**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Day 12 – Plans and Disruptions

Atsuki slowly stirred awake to the smell of breakfast cooking, and found that Fumiko was no longer by his side, and he sat up in alarm.

"Good morning, Atsuki," Fumiko greeted, glancing over at him from the kitchen.

She was already dressed in her uniform, and she was wearing an apron over it to ensure that she didn't get her clothes dirty.

"G-Good morning," he replied in a little surprise, relieved that she was alright. "You're up really early today… and making breakfast? What's the occasion?"

Fumiko allowed the bacon she was cooking to simmer, and left the stove on low heat, walking over to him and giving him a sweet morning kiss. "I woke up this morning feeling excellent, and thought I should make breakfast for the handsome young saviour that rescued me from Silent yesterday."

He chuckled, kissing her again. "Well… then the only way that I can think of returning the thanks of the beautiful young woman that I fell in love with is this," he said, grabbing her arms and yanking her onto him.

She shrieked in surprise as she fell on top of him before their lips met passionately as Atsuki wrapped his arms around her tightly as they kissed.

"Ah," Fumiko murmured, pulling her lips off his as her cell phone buzzed.

Atsuki unwillingly released her as she went to answer the call, flipping open her phone.

"Kasugazaki," she greeted. "Ah… good morning to you too, Adrian. I'm surprised you and Alex are up so early. Find anything? Excellent, Atsuki and I will stop by before heading to school. Nah, I'm heading to the local dojo for a little self-training. Yep, 'till then."

Hanging up, Atsuki crawled out of bed, stretching out his arms and legs. "Self-training?" he implored, and she nodded.

"I used to train and practice every morning when I could. Since I've gotten here, I've been pretty relaxed," she explained. "So, that's why I woke up early."

"I'm coming with you," he said. "I wanna watch. Anyway, did they find anything regarding the possibly rogue CIA agent?"

"Yep," she responded cheerfully. "I think that just helped to make my day."

"Well, I'm glad," he said in reply, hugging her. "Now… do you need any help with making breakfast?"

She shook her head. "But could you please help me set out two plates?" she requested.

"Of course," he replied, and they both headed into the kitchen, Fumiko heading back to finish cooking the bacon and eggs while Atsuki set out plates and cutlery.

Fumiko carried the frying pan over and easily slipped the eggs and bacon into the plates, right as the toast popped up from the toaster.

"Ah, great timing," she murmured, going back to get the toast and easily tossing it precisely onto their plates.

"Fumiko," Atsuki said softly, and he embraced her in a hug as she went to the kettle.

"Just go sit down, Atsuki," she told him. "I'll join you in a second. Would you like coffee or tea?"

"Tea please," he responded, and she prepared some tea for the both of them before joining him at the table. "So… how do you feel this morning, Fumiko?"

She shrugged easily. "Well… I'm feeling a lot better than before, considering I nearly died and was majorly depressed because of the Silent thing," she admitted honestly. "But now that I've mostly recovered from that, not to mention now I have a wonderful boyfriend that I know I can trust with my life, I think I'm pretty good for the moment."

Atsuki raised an eyebrow. "For the moment?" he noted.

"Well… I _am_ being hunted by like… three different groups," she reminded, and he nodded gravely.

"Don't think that I'm not going to be protective over you," he warned, "cause believe me, I _will be_."

Fumiko chuckled, "I appreciate your protection, Atsuki. But don't forget, I'm also a CIA agent as well as a FORT agent. I can protect myself too, you know."

He smiled, nodding. "I know," he agreed. "But I'll be here if you need me."

"Comforting," she said with a smile. "Now please, eat."

xXx

After they had finished eating, Atsuki helped Fumiko wash the dishes. Then they both prepared for school, and headed off to the local dojo in the city; the one where Akira happened to train in.

Fumiko quickly went to change into her white training uniform, white robes wrapped snugly around her body as she tied up her hair into a high ponytail. Atsuki sat on the sidelines, watching as she inhaled deeply, curling her hands into fists. She suddenly lunged, starting her routinely moves as she was all over the room, lashing out into the air with powerful strikes and kicks while dodging gracefully in the air. Finishing up one complex routine after another, Atsuki looked at the time and realized nearly an hour and a half had already passed.

"Whew, that was tiring," she sighed, taking deep breaths as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You were amazing," he commented, handing her a water bottle, "so graceful yet deadly."

She laughed, taking a drink of water before exhaling. "Thanks," she replied cheerfully.

"Saijo? Fumiko? What are you guys doing here?"

Both FORT agents turned to see Akira Mido walking over to them, also dressed up in his training gear.

"Hey Akira," Fumiko greeted, "I'm here to do some practice. I normally train every morning, but since I've arrived in Kisaragi, I've been quite lenient on it."

His eyes widened. "I didn't know you took self-defence classes," he said.

"She doesn't," Atsuki answered. "She _used_ to, but not anymore."

Akira grinned at her. "Do you need a sparring partner?" he implored.

Fumiko laughed, "Perhaps, but not today. I'm worn out. Atsuki and I are going to grab something to eat before we head over to school."

He seemed a little suspicious, raising an eyebrow. "By any chance are you two going out again?" he guessed, and they nodded. "I knew it." He grinned widely. "You guys just can't keep your eyes off each other, so it was, in a way, predictable. Rui guessed you two would be back together by the end of the week. Guess she was right."

Both of them blushed.

"Well, I guess we'll continue this discussion later. You guys are grabbing something before you head off to school, right?" Akira continued as he walked away, "I'll catch you guys later."

xXx

After Fumiko had finished cleaning up and changed, she and Atsuki went to Basket O' Breads.

"Hey Atsuki, hey Fumiko," Adrian greeted cheerfully as the couple entered. The CIA agent was tending to several customers at the time.

"Hey Adrian," Fumiko replied merrily. "How are you this morning?"

He smiled, nodding. "Just fine," he said, "now, come to the back. Alex and Ayumi have some new 'recipes' they want to show you."

They went around the counter and through the double-hinged doors, and Fumiko smiled at the two CIA agents that greeted them in the back.

"Good morning, you two," Alex greeted, "come on. We've got some data for you."

Fumiko and Atsuki entered and Ayumi closed the door behind them.

"Okay, we've got good news and bad news," she declared. "Good news is that we've narrowed down the list of suspects to only a brief handful of CIA agents. Bad news is that we're not sure how much we can narrow it down before it's likely that he's gonna strike."

Fumiko sighed, "Well… at least it's better than nothing. Thanks guys."

"Here's the information we've gathered so far," Alex said, handing the young CIA agent a stack of papers clipped together. "Go through them after school and see whether you recognize anyone that might have a grudge against you."

She smiled. "Thanks," she said, flipping through the papers before nodding at her ex-colleagues. "I really appreciate the help, you guys. Let's go, Atsuki. Let's not be late for school. Thanks a lot, guys."

Atsuki smiled, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Okay, let's go," he stated, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I missed the makeup," he noted, "when did this happen?"

"Just yesterday," he answered. "A lot of things happened."

Fumiko cleared her throat, tucking in the papers into her bag. "Well… we'll be going now, Ayumi, Alex," she announced. "Thanks a lot for all the help. Please let me know if there are any updates."

"Sounds good, Fumiko," Alex replied. "Take care, and please be careful."

She smiled. "You too," she said as she and Atsuki left.

Pure white snowflakes fell from the sky, beginning to cover the ground in a layer of white.

"The snow is beautiful," Fumiko commented with a blissful smile. "Kisaragi City will soon be a winter wonderland."

"Fumiko, are you going to be alright?" Atsuki implored.

The CIA/FORT agent looked at him and smiled, reaching up to give him a tender kiss. "I'll be fine, Atsuki," she assured. "I appreciate your concern though. Now let's get to school before we're late."

Atsuki grabbed her arm in reply, pulling her against him as he kissed her passionately.

"Fumiko… don't ever leave me," he whispered into her ear, holding her close. "I love you so much."

She smiled at him. "I love you too, Atsuki," she said gently, burying her face into his chest. _I will always love you,_ she added silently, _no matter what happens to me…_

xXx

When the bell rang for lunch, immediately Atsuki and Fumiko's friends gathered around their desks.

"So… I heard you two made up and are going out again!" Mika cheered happily.

Both FORT agents nodded, shooting a loving smile at each other for a moment.

"Awww… you two are just so cute," Rui teased, and both Fumiko and Atsuki couldn't help but blush a little in embarrassment.

"And the funny thing is that you're both still so shy about this too," Hibiki added with a light chuckle. "Even though you've already dated before."

"Okay, okay," Fumiko chided, standing up, "enough about us. Let's go for lunch. It's so nice outside, so why don't we eat in the quad today?"

"Let's go!" their friends cheered happily.

xXx

Atsuki and Fumiko sat beside each other on the bench, and the others smiled at them.

"So how'd you guys end up back together anyway?" Akira implored curiously.

"It's a long story," Fumiko responded. "But to sum it up, we realized that we were truly in love with each other, and well, you know… we got back together."

Atsuki's arm wrapped affectionately around her waist, pulling her close.

"You two are so cute," Mika cooed.

Their friends laughed as Atsuki and Fumiko flushed. Suddenly, Fumiko's phone rang, breaking into the moment.

"Kasugazaki," she greeted. "Oh, uh… Damien… hold on."

She stood up, bowing to her friends. "Sorry, I gotta take this call," she told them before rushing off by the gate.

Fumiko could feel Atsuki's worried gaze on her as she left.

"So, Damien, what is it?" she implored.

"We have a lead on Tetsuya Jigarashi," he told her. "He's somewhere just outside of Kisaragi. There is a chance he could strike anytime soon, so be on your guard. We're sending in backup that'll meet with the other three agents currently in Kisaragi, and we'll alert you if we find anything else."

"Okay, sounds good," she responded. "Thanks for the notice. Let me know as soon as you get any other leads."

"Got it," he answered, "Damien, out."

He hung up the phone, and Fumiko rotated her neck after slipping her phone back into her pocket. _Well… that's a little unsettling,_ she thought as she returned to her friends.

"Ooh, who's this _Damien_ person?" Rui teased, "Is it an unknown lover Atsuki doesn't know about?"

She flushed in embarrassment. "No!" she scowled, "He's an ex-co-worker of mine. I used to work as a part-time secretary while I was abroad." The lie rolled off her tongue as easily as if it were actually true.

"Wow, you're a really hard worker, aren't you, Kasugazaki," Akira teased with a grin. "And I saw you and Atsuki at the dojo this morning too. You're not like other normal girls, Kasugazaki. But then again, Rui and Mika aren't exactly what you'd call 'normal' either."

_Oh, if only you knew how not "normal" I really am,_ Fumiko thought with a smirk as Mika and Rui protested Akira's comment.

Atsuki raised an eyebrow at Fumiko. "No problems, I hope?" he said quietly, just loud enough for only her to hear.

"Nothing too bad," she murmured. "I can deal with it."

Very softly, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You're just so cute together!" Rui cheered.

Fumiko scowled at her, blushing. "Okay, okay, enough about us! Let's just eat already before class starts."

xXx

During their last class, Aoi suddenly remembered something she needed to inform the class about.

"Oh yeah, by the way, don't forget that you're helping Ms. Hino out with the Winter Formal decorations after school today in one of the other classrooms today," she informed.

Atsuki bit his lip. During their previous class he and Fumiko had sensed a mild disturbance in Kisaragi, and he was itching to check it out. He exchanged glances with Fumiko before mouthing to her, _It's okay. You can stay and help and I'll go and check it out. _After her confirming nod, he looked at the teacher. "Sorry, Ms. Matsumura," he apologized, "I kinda have some previous arrangements already made after school today. I'll help out some other time though."

"Well, that's too bad Atsuki, but we'll have to take you up on your offer," she agreed. "Today none of the teachers other than Ms. Hino will be available to supervise and help you all, so try not to stress her out with too many questions."

xXx

"So… what are we planning for the Winter Formal?" Rui inquired.

They all shrugged.

"We can definitely make snowflakes," Fumiko suggested.

"Yeah! And those white Christmas lights too!" Mika added.

Yayoi clapped her hands happily. "We can hang them up in the quad from the classroom windows," she said.

"Yeah!" Akira exclaimed, Hibiki and Ryo nodding.

"The same goes for the snowflakes," Hibiki added. "We can use thin pieces of clear thread and hang them up on the lights."

Mika cheered, "This is going to be so _awesome_!"

xXx

For the next few hours, they continued to make plans and decorations for the Winter Formal. With the snow on the ground, it would have added effects for the dance. They worked until the sky was dark, and now they were all in the classroom making the decorations while Mika had gone down to the illuminated quad to measure out some distances.

"This dance is going to be awesome!" Rui exclaimed eagerly.

"Yeah," Akira agreed. "I bet everyone's already gotten their fancy clothes for the formal already."

They all nodded, even though Fumiko was lying.

_There's no way I have had _any_ time to go look for a nice dress for the dance,_ she thought tiredly. _I've had just _too_ much going on in my life right now._

Suddenly Mika ran into the classroom, panting.

"Mika, what's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"You look like you just finished running a marathon or something," Hibiki added.

"F-Fumiko!" Mika gasped, trying to catch her breath. "T-Those men… from the AMS Bank! They're back! They're coming into the quad!"

Her eyes widened in horror. "What?" she gasped, "_Now_? Dammit!" Hurriedly she went to her schoolbag, rummaging through it furiously.

"What's going on?" Yayoi inquired worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

Hibiki rested a hand on Fumiko's shoulder. "The guy that's after you from AMS Bank?" he asked.

She nodded, turning to Mika. "How many? Are they armed?"

"Yeah," she panted, "at least five of them."

From her schoolbag, Fumiko pulled out one of her standard CIA handguns, surprising and shocking most of her classmates, except Mika, Shinji, and Hibiki.

"I'm an agent of the CIA," Fumiko revealed, flashing her badge to them. "I'm really sorry to have dragged you all into this. This isn't your battle. Hurry, gather up in the corner. I'll try and hold them off while you guys call for help."

Pulling out her cell phone, she speed-dialled Adrian's number.

"Adrian!" she told him urgently the moment he picked up, "I need your help! Tetsuya Jigarashi is back! I'm still at the school, there are other students with me, and I've just placed them all in danger! Ugh, I'm such an idiot, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Get Alex and Ayumi and call for backup. Call me when you've come up with a plan."

Hanging up, the others were still staring at her.

Akira was the first to speak up. "So we've had a CIA agent with us the whole time and didn't know it?"

"We couldn't tell you guys about it!" Mika responded. "I found out after Fumiko saved my life. Shinji found out cause he hacked some files, and Hibiki knows because…"

"She saved my life when we were attacked by a group of drunk men," he half-lied fluently.

As Fumiko checked her rounds and extra clips, she instructed carefully, "Now, I want all of you to gather in that corner. I'll stay watch outside in the hallway. Since there are blinds, we won't have to worry too much about windows."

"But Fumiko! You'll get yourself killed!" Yayoi panicked.

She forced an easygoing smile, and Nurse Honoka told her, "Kasugazaki, isn't it a better idea to stay in here where it's safer?"

The young CIA agent shook her head sadly. "This guy is after me and me alone," she explained, "therefore it would be easier to draw them away from here."

Quieting down, they heard footsteps in the hallway, and Fumiko groaned quietly, knowing it was too late to leave the classroom unseen and unheard without endangering her schoolmates.

"Hide," she hissed quietly, taking a position next to the door, her finger set on the trigger.

Suddenly, Fumiko slid open the door and fired at the man creeping next to the door. At the muzzle crack, her classmates winced. Immediately after the first shots, a gunfight between Fumiko and the enemy ensued.

"Dammit, there's too many of them!" Fumiko breathed as she saw more men approach, both armed and unarmed. "Stay clear, all of you." She replaced her clip with a new one.

She closed the door and took two steps back, her gun trailed at the door, her feet separated in the beginning of a martial arts position should she lose her gun.

Suddenly the door slammed open and instinctively Fumiko opened fire, taking out the first man before the second expertly kicked the gun from her hands. A martial arts battle began between them, and with Fumiko's shorter stature, it seemed she had the upper hand.

While she fought though, she was unaware of the other man across from the doorway, his gun trailed at her.

"Fumiko, gunman at your 8 o'clock!" Hibiki shouted, "Another one at your 4!"

Immediately Fumiko spun, kicking the man nearest to her, but she was too slow to react as the gunman shot her in the lower stomach three times before she dropped to the ground.

"Fumiko!" her friends exclaimed, but she couldn't hear them, as she had been knocked out by the pain.

More men stormed the room, guns drawn, and Tetsuya Jigarashi stepped into the room, looking down at Fumiko's motionless body.

He turned to the man that had shot her. "You'd better hope that she makes it out of here alive or else I'll kill you myself."

The man gulped in fear. Tetsuya returned his attention to the students gathered in the corned in fear, Honoka trying to shield them.

"W-What do you want with us?" Yayoi demanded in a shaky voice.

He laughed, "With you students, nothing. The only one I'm here for is CIA Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki." He pointed at Honoka. "You, nurse, analyze Fumiko's wound. I'll have a first aid kit brought in, but please, don't try anything stupid."

Carefully and quietly, Honoka went to Fumiko's side, folding up her sleeves before carefully pulling up a bit of Fumiko's blouse in order to get a better analytical view of the wound.

"Honoka?" Hibiki addressed quietly and worriedly.

"There's a lot of blood loss, and the bullets have penetrated deeply," she observed, looking up at their captor. "She needs to be taken to the hospital and have the bullets removed immediately or else she'll die from blood loss."

A man brought in a first aid box and handed it to his boss, who offered it out to her. "Then you should probably bandage the wound before that happens."

Hibiki went to Fumiko's side, taking her hand in the both of his, gripping it tightly. "Fumiko?" he whispered.

"Awww… how sweet," Tetsuya sneered as Honoka Hino put on some sterilized gloves.

Weakly Fumiko's eyes fluttered open and she groaned in pain. "D-Dammit," she murmured.

"Fumiko!" Hibiki exclaimed quietly in surprise.

Tetsuya chuckled. "Awake so soon, Agent Kasugazaki? Impressive that you could awaken not long after being shot several times. I expected you to be out a lot longer due to the blowback of the bullets."

"Kasugazaki, this may sting a little," Honoka warned quietly before wiping away blood from the wounds. Then she soaked a small cotton ball in disinfectant alcohol before wiping around the wound, and Fumiko bit her lip, groaning in pain, her grip tightening around Hibiki's.

Suddenly there heard sirens approaching outside, and Fumiko's phone rang.

"Hmm… _I'll_ be picking that up," Tetsuya said as he took Fumiko's phone off the table. "Hello?"

There was momentary silence before Adrian spoke. "Who are you? Why do you have Miss Kasugazaki's phone? Where is she?"

"_Agent_ Kasugazaki is on the floor bleeding," Tetsuya answered bluntly, his voice filled with coldness. "I have her phone because I am her captor."

"What do you want with her, Tetsuya Jigarashi?" Adrian demanded.

"I want her to join us, of course," he responded. "Now let us go safely or else we'll endanger the lives of these other students we have here. Time's a-ticking, as you shouldn't forget that Miss Kasugazaki is losing more blood as we speak. So… what's your choice?"

* * *

**Hope you liked it. Sorry for leaving a cliffy RIGHT at the exciting part. lol. Tell me your thoughts on this situation. :D**

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	20. Running Out of Time

… **There is just something with me and ridiculously long stalling/update-times. TT_TT Why am I so quick at changing writing interests…? Either way, best not to let Fumiko suffer any longer… right?**

**Sorry for the long wait (if you were waiting), and I hope you enjoy this chapter? XD**

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**Disclaimer: Lux-Pain © Killaware**

**Claimer: everything else © me**

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Running Out of Time

"Well, Agent Kasugazaki isn't getting any better over here," Tetsuya Jigarashi snickered into the phone, "oh, and plus, just to prove it, I'll take a picture for you and send it over. Anyway, what's your decision?"

Ex-CIA Agent Adrian Martin gritted his teeth, his hand tightening on the phone. "I'm afraid I don't have the proper authorization to make that call," he lied.

"Very well," the international gang leader responded easily. "I will be expecting a call back in ten minutes. Till then, I'll enjoy watching our little agent here bleed."

Hanging up, Adrian swore under his breath as Alex put up a huge display of a countdown from ten minutes. The CIA team was stationing themselves about a block from outside the gates of Kisaragi High School, and they had heard everything. Moments later, a text from Fumiko's phone came in with an attached photo, and immediately Adrian sent it to Alex, who opened the picture on the computer. Fumiko was lying on the ground, blood pouring from the three gunshot wounds in her lower abdomen. Her eyes were filled with pain, and both Nurse Honoka Hino and Hibiki Kiryu were by her side. The bleeding looked pretty bad, and already a pool had formed underneath her.

"Close it," Adrian breathed in both anger and horror as he looked away.

Alex was more than happy to oblige as he cleared the horrid image from the screen.

"We can't afford to buy ourselves more time," Ayumi analyzed logically. "Fumiko could bleed to death if we do."

"I know that!" Adrian hissed in frustration, slamming a fist against the desk before trying to calm down a little. "Sorry. I'm just worried."

"So are we," Alex agreed, "but anger won't help Fumiko now."

Ayumi looked at Adrian. "Look, for now, we've alerted the local Kisaragi police, and they'll be here to serve as backup if we need it," she informed him. "Their first priority will be to contact the hostages' families and alert them of the situation. Since this is an international gang that's been on the CIA's list for quite a while, the rescue operation is in CIA control, meaning, _our_ control."

He nodded in agreement, turning to his girlfriend. "Ayumi, call Atsuki Saijo. He deserves to know what's going on since Fumiko's involved," he instructed. "Alex, bring up a layout of the school and locate all entrance and exit points. Also, trace Fumiko's cell to see which classroom they're in. If we're planning on storming the building, we're gonna need to know what we might be walking into."

As they both went to do their respective duties, Adrian loaded his handgun, checking the magazine before pocketing extra clips. This time, he'd definitely take down the bastard that tried to kill his old partner… no matter what.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Atsuki had finished up his search of the mild disturbance in Kisaragi, only to discover that the cause was an anger/hatred-filled R. Shinen lingering around AMS Bank. He was now back at home, writing up some quick notes in his reports that he knew Nola was bugging him to get done. Even though he could have very well went back to school to help out with the decorations, he felt like he needed a little alone time to sort out some things, including his strong feelings for Fumiko. All of a sudden, his cell rang.

Looking at the caller ID, he didn't recognize the number but picked up anyway.

"Hello? Atsuki?" Ayumi Tachibana addressed, her voice filled with concern.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, it's me," he responded. "If you're looking for Fumiko, she's not here right now. She's-"

"At school, right?" she finished.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Atsuki retorted in surprise, "You can call her cell if you want to reach-"

Immediately she cut him off. "Atsuki, listen carefully," she instructed quickly. "Don't panic, but Fumiko and your classmates are currently being held hostage by Tetsuya Jigarashi."

His breath went ragged as panic shot through him. Suddenly he became aware of the strong death Shinen that resonated from Area 6. "Are they alright?!" he demanded.

"Your classmates are okay, from what I hear," Ayumi answered, but hesitated for a moment before adding, "But… Fumiko's been shot three times in the lower abdomen. Right now they're demanding that we let them go safely with Fumiko and they'll let the other students go. We've got less than ten minutes to figure out a plan."

"Where are you guys right now?" he asked, his grip on the phone tightening.

"We're about a block out from Kisaragi High School," she answered. "Because of your apparent profiling background, not to mention your involvement with the last incident with Tetsuya Jigarashi, I'm pretty sure we can pull some strings for you to be here."

Immediately Atsuki began to head out. "I'll be there in three," he swore, then hung up the phone, running full-on to Area 6.

_Dammit Fumiko,_ he thought in self-anger, _it's all my fault! I should've gone back to the school! You're not leaving me!_

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After Atsuki had arrived and was escorted to where the Main Operations team was, Adrian looked at the concerned teen while biting his lip, unsure of how he could really address the rather-tense situation.

"Don't worry Atsuki, we're gonna get her out of there alive," he assured while faking a smile.

But the silver-haired teen saw right through it. Adrian's Shinen did not reflect the hope in which he spoke with, and even without the use of Sigma, Atsuki could see that his smile was strained.

"Adrian, what are we going to do?" Alex demanded. "We've got less than four minutes left. The strike teams are covering the other exits and I have a medical team on standby once we get the hostages out."

All of a sudden, there was a beeping noise, and Alex's fingers tapped quickly across the keyboard.

"Alex, what _is_ that?" Ayumi demanded. "Don't tell us its bad news."

"Adrian, check your phone," the analyst ordered.

Adrian looked to see that a live video feed was being requested to be patched through. "Alex," he began warily, "I've a bad feeling, but open it."

Obligingly, Alex accepted the video feed, and immediately they all gasped when they saw the interior of Fumiko's classroom, Tetsuya Jigarashi standing before them with a wide grin on his face.

"I know you can see and hear me, CIA agents," he greeted with a wave. "I intentionally brought this video camera for other reasons; nevertheless, _this_ usage seems to be quite appropriate as well."

The camera turned down and they couldn't help gasp at the blood that surrounded Fumiko's torso. Weak breaths escaped her lips as Nurse Hino tried to slow the bleeding.

"As you can see," Tetsuya commentated, "young Agent Fumiko Kasugazaki isn't in the best of conditions right now."

"She needs medical attention ASAP," Honoka hissed in frustration. "Look, she's gotta get to a hospital now!"

Fumiko was looking into the camera, Hibiki holding one hand tightly, trying to keep her conscious. She groaned in pain as she tried to move, her other hand on the floor next to her.

"Well, Agent Kasugazaki's survival lies in the hands of her team," Tetsuya replied simply.

While he spoke, Ayumi noticed that Fumiko's obscured hand was twitching; rather, her index finger was tapping mutely against the floor.

"Is she-?" she cut off in amazement, bringing their attention to her tapping on the far corner of the screen.

"Yes, yes!" Alex said in excitement.

Atsuki looked frantically, failing to see what the others could. "What is it?!"

"She's sending us a message," Adrian answered, "using Morse code. We agreed that it was protocol if one of us ever got captured. Alex, can you decipher it for us?"

The analyst nodded. "She's telling us that there are six men in the room, probably including Tetsuya, and that from what she knows there are another dozen standing guard in the hallway," he answered as he stared unblinking at Fumiko's twitching finger on screen. "Nine hostages, one wounded. I'm guessing that would be her. From there on, she's just repeating the message from the beginning in case we missed it the first time."

"Like I said previously," Tetsuya continued simply, "you're to allow us to safely leave with Miss Kasugazaki where she'll be treated and well taken care of, and the rest of the hostages will be unharmed. Refuse, well, let's just say if Agent Kasugazaki should die, a bloodbath might ensue."

Adrian's hands tightened into fists. "We're running out of time," he hissed. "Fumiko needs medical attention _now_!"

"If the first floor is clear," Ayumi contemplated, "the strike teams can enter the second level through the two side stairwells. From across the window of Fumiko's classroom, we can try to set up snipers at various angles. From there, the dozen men outside the classroom can be distracted by a stun bomb, and after the strike team takes them down, they can storm the classroom to save the hostages."

"One problem," Alex pointed out. "The moment we use a stun bomb, Tetsuya will know that we're attacking. He could very well wipe out all the hostages."

Adrian bit his lip. "And Fumiko's not in any condition to fight," he agreed.

"Maybe not _fight_," Ayumi began, "but if she had a gun, she could easily shoot down the six in the room."

"Oh, her message is changing," Alex noticed, staring unblinking at the screen. "She's saying if we're planning on using force, she should be able to reach her gun. When it was knocked away, it slid under the chair where she's laying nearby. Half-full chamber, but enough to take them down before backup gets in."

Atsuki forced a grim smile. "Even while she's bleeding all over the floor, she still has enough energy to come up with a plan… that girl…"

Ayumi looked at her boyfriend. "Adrian, we're _your_ team," she said sternly, "it's _your_ call."

Breathing deeply, Adrian gave a single nod. "Alex, I'll be relying on you here to be our eyes and ears," he said. "Ayumi, come with me, we're going in. Atsuki, stay here with Alex. We'll get her out, I promise."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Fumiko was running out of time. She was losing way too much blood… and her consciousness was fading too…

_Dammit…_ she thought. _If you're going to do something… please do it quick…_

Hibiki squeezed her hand tightly. "Please just hold on, Fumiko," he pleaded. "You can't give up."

Though she looked immensely weak right now, the truth was that Fumiko was conserving as much energy as she could for when the battle would begin.

"Just breathe, Kasugazaki," Honoka told her. "Don't give up."

_I just hope that Adrian and the others saw my message…_ she thought hopefully. _I don't know what I can do if I run out of strength…_

Without warning, they heard something explode outside the classroom, and immediately Fumiko summoned the last of her strength and grabbed her gun from underneath the table before shooting down the other men. Finally, the barrel of the gun was aimed at Tetsuya Jigarashi right as the CIA team stormed the room, surrounding Tetsuya, which allowed Fumiko to ease up just in time as all of her strength deserted her.

"Fumiko!" Adrian shouted as he and Ayumi quickly ran in.

As another two agents pulled Hibiki and Honoka aside, Adrian quickly dropped to his knees next to his partner, desperately grabbing her hand as he squeezed tightly in reassurance.

"Fumiko, Fumiko," he breathed, terrified at how cold her hands were, "just hold on a little longer okay?! You're going to be fine!"

"I need a med team in here stat!" Ayumi ordered while the others arrested Tetsuya.

Fumiko could only smile weakly at her partner. "A-Adrian…" she rasped, "t-tell Atsuki… I love him…"

Her eyes slipped closed as she lost consciousness, her hand slipping from his grasp.

"No, no!" Adrian screamed, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You can't do this to me, Fumiko! Not after everything we've been through!"

Immediately Ayumi yanked her boyfriend away as paramedics immediately went to tend to the dying young agent.

"Fumiko!" he screamed after her, "You can't die, you hear me?!"

Ayumi hugged Adrian to her chest, knowing that he was fearful that he had lost his young partner. "Shhhh…" she tried to hush. "Fumiko's a strong girl."

"This is _my_ fault," he tearlessly wept, "I stalled too long. I should've done something earlier."

"Adrian, you _know_ that if we had tried something earlier, Tetsuya would have killed everyone without thinking twice," Ayumi reasoned. "And we all knew we couldn't take that risk. It's not your fault, Adrian. It's no one's fault. It was thanks to Fumiko's ingenious mind that saved her life. We're not going to lose her, Adrian. We _can't_."

He was still shaking with great fear and anxiety as he tried to calm himself down, inhaling deeply several times before standing.

"We have to be strong…" Adrian agreed, "for Atsuki's sake. When he sees her… I don't know how he's going to take it…"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Atsuki was pacing nervously back and forth as he kept trying to focus on Fumiko's Shinen, but it was weak…

_Come on, come on, _he thought desperately. _You can't die, Fumiko…_

He felt absolutely useless, and the high tension in the air only made him feel worse. The huge amount of Death Shinen didn't help either, even though he knew that most of them were belonging to Tetsuya Jigurashi's men. It had been ten minutes since Adrian's team went in, and four since the shooting started. Death Shinen had rose quickly from the building, and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw Fumiko's limp body being rolled out on a stretcher, covered in blood as paramedics tried to slow down the bleeding.

"Fumiko!" he gasped, rushing to her side before being pushed back by the paramedics.

"I'm sorry Sir, but please let us through and get her to the hospital," one told him.

Letting them pass, for a moment he felt at a loss of what to do.

"Go with her, Atsuki." A broken-sounding voice said, and the silver-haired teen turned to see Adrian and Ayumi step out.

"Don't worry," Ayumi assured, "she'll be alright. She's tough like that, you know."

"We'll stay here and handle things," Adrian added. "Be there on our behalf too, okay?"

Atsuki forced a smile as he jumped into the back of the ambulance with the medics as they quickly departed with the injured Fumiko to the hospital. Just hopefully she'd be okay…

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hours after Fumiko had been admitted to the ER, finally a doctor came out to give a report.

"Mr. Saijo?" he greeted, "Rest assured, Miss Kasugazaki will be just fine. She's lost a lot of blood, but otherwise overall it's nothing that won't heal."

Atsuki sighed in relief. Fumiko was going to be okay…

* * *

**Ahh…. Another crisis has ended… Poor Fumiko… I've GOT to cut her some slack… maybe give her a vacation? Errr… either way… hopefully the rest of her problems get cleared up so she can actually spend just some quality time with Atsuki and live a normal student life… ah, who am I kidding…. It just wouldn't be as fun… rather, that would be quite a boring fic… hahaha. Then again, it would DEFINITELY contrast with everything else that's going on for her. Perhaps giving her a break would be nice, for a change. **

**What do you guys think?**

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